FROM   THE   LIBRARY   OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.   D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED    BY   HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON   THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


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THE    MIDDLE    ENGLISH 
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THE   MIDDLE  ENGLISH 
PENITENTIAL  LYRIC 


<£, 


A    STUDY    AND    COLLECTION 
OF   EARLY   RELIGIOUS  VERSE 


BY 


FRANK   ALLEN   PATTERSON,  Ph.D. 


ml 


Nefo  gorfc 
THE    COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY   PRESS 

1911 

/i//  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  191  i, 
Bv  THE  COLUMBIA  UN1VERSIT      PRESS. 

Printed  from  type.     Published  September,  i$ix. 


yortoooti  $rtfg 

J.  8.  Cashing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  liui.,  U.S.A. 


TO 
MY   FATHER   AND   MY   MOTHER 


This  Monograph  has  been  approved  by  the  Department  of 
English  in  Columbia  University  as  a  contribution  to  knowl- 
edge worthy  of  publication. 

A.   H.    THORNDIKE, 

Secretary. 


PREFACE 

The  main  object  of  this  study  was  at  first  the  investigation 
of  the  relations  of  the  Middle  English  religious  lyric  to 
various  other  kinds  of  lyric  poetry  that  were  well  known 
in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries;  but  as  the  work 
advanced  it  became  apparent  that  the  exact  provenience 
of  the  religious  lyric  could  be  shown  satisfactorily  only  by 
printing  a  large  number  of  these  poems  with  notes  pointing 
out  in  detail  the  sources  of  general  ideas  and  of  specific  lines, 
phrases,  and  words.  Accordingly  the  completed  monograph 
has  taken  the  form  of  a  collection  of  sixty-nine  lyrics,  with 
rather  extensive  notes  and  an  introduction  that  sums  up  the 
results  of  the  more  minute  study. 

Of  these  poems  six  are  here  printed  for  the  first  time.1 
The  prayer,  No.  21,  is  interesting.  Lydgate's  poem,  Timor 
Mortis  Conturbat  Me,  No.  38,  hitherto  unpublished,  has  much 
literary  quality,  and  belongs  to  a  class  of  poems  having  a 
curious  source.  I  am  gratified  from  a  study  of  these  Timor 
Mortis  lyrics  to  be  able  to  throw  light  upon  the  models  that 
Dunbar  used  in  the  Lament  for  the  Makaris,  for  it  is  clear 
that  he  took  his  refrain  and  other  lines  from  these  popular 
songs  on  the  fear  of  death. 

The  sixty-nine  poems  as  a  whole  show  a  deep  sincerity 
and  a  mystic  ardor  that  give  them  unquestioned  beauty. 
Such  a  prayer  as  that  beginning  ■  Ihesu,  mercy !  mercy,  I 
cry,'  No.  22,  well  bears  the  sub-title,  A  deuoyt  Meditacione. 
The  paraphrase  of  the  Ave  Maris  Stella,  No.  43,  to  mention 
but  one  of  many  songs  to  the  Virgin,  is  a  beautiful  expression 
of  the  knightly  yet  religious  chivalry  that  delighted  to  honor 
Mary,  *al  in  liht  I-schrud.' 

1  Nos.  6,  21,  26,  28,  38,  60. 
vii 


Vlll 

In  making  this  selection  of  lyrics,  I  have]  followed  defini- 
tions and  division  lines  that  are  stated  in  the  succeeding 
pages.  But  perhaps  I  should  remind  the  reader  at  the  out- 
set that  definitions  are  all  too  often  inadequate,  and  that 
lines  of  demarcation  should  never  stand  out  too  prominently. 
The  selections  printed  in  this  volume  include  all  the  poems 
strictly  of  the  class  studied  —  the  penitential  lyric.  It  would 
be  rash  indeed  to  say  that  no  possible  lyric  has  been  omitted, 
for  there  are  a  few  excluded  poems  that  come  very  near  the 
border  line.  Yet  I  believe  that  the  present  collection  is 
practically  exhaustive. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the  help  I  have  received 
in  preparing  this  monograph.  To  the  Reverend  John  F. 
Quirk,  formerly  vice-president  of  Fordham  University,  I 
am  indebted  for  hints  in  regard  to  the  classification  of  the 
Middle  English  religious  lyric.  I  owe  much  to  his  encour- 
agement, and  to  the  assurance  he  gave  me  that  the  arrange- 
ment, which  I  had  determined  upon,  was  strictly  in  accordance 
with  the  tenets  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Miss  Helen  L. 
Cohen,  my  friend  and  fellow-student,  who  is  now  engaged 
upon  a  study  of  the  ballade  for  the  present  series,  has  given 
me  several  references,  and  has  kindly  offered  suggestions 
concerning  the  section  upon  French  influence.  Professor 
Raymond  Weeks  of  Columbia  University  has  read  the  same 
section  and  has  given  me  valuable  hints.  To  Professors 
Ashley  H.  Thorndike,  Jefferson  B.  Fletcher,  George  P. 
Krapp,  Harry  M.  Ayres,  and  John  Erskine,  I  am  indebted 
for  reading  the  manuscript.  To  the  last  three  I  am  especially 
grateful  for  suggestions.  It  is  to  Professor  William  Wither- 
ley  Lawrence,  however,  that  I  owe  most.  He  directed  my 
attention  to  the  Middle  English  religious  lyric,  and  through- 
out this  study  rendered  invaluable  assistance.  While  in 
England  he  secured  copies  and  rotographs  of  manuscripts 
for  me.  To  his  kindly  interest  and  friendly  encouragement, 
I  owe  more  than  I  am  able  to  state. 


CONTENTS 


PAGB 

A.   Introduction 1-45 

I.    Classification  of  Middle  English  Religious  Lyrics  1-15 

a.    Definition  of  Terms 1-3 

3-4 
4-5 
5-6 


b.  Mysticism  in  the  Middle  English  Religious  Lyric 

c.  Doctrines  of  Mysticism 

d.  Relation  of  Purification  to  Penance   .... 

e.  Definition  of  Penance  according  to  the  Council  of 

Trent 6-12 

/.   Classification  of  Penitential  Lyrics     .         .         .  13-15 

II.     Influences  that  brought  about  the  Development 


III. 


of  the  Vernacular  Lyric 
a.    The  Liturgy 


[5-45 
[8-26 


of 


1.  Translations   and   paraphrases    of  portions 

the  services 

2.  Words  and  ideas  taken  from  the  liturgy    . 

3.  Relation  of  the  Middle  English  religious  lyric 

to  the  Latin  hymns   and   to   sacred   Latin 


20-23 
23-24 


b. 


poetry 

Patristic  Writings 

1.  Anselm  and  other  Fathers  of  the  Church 

2.  St.  Edmund      ..... 

3.  Richard  Rolle 

4.  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas     . 

5.  English  Sermons      .... 
French  Influence  

a.  The  French  Secular  Lyric 

1.  The  chanson  a"1  amour ;  its  influence 

2.  The  chanson  a  personnages ;  its  influence 

b.  The  French  Religious  Lyric 

1.  Development  of  the  serventois  . 

2.  Imitations  of  secular  songs  in  French 

3.  Influence  of  French  religious  lyrics   . 

(a)  The  serventois  and  ballade 

(b)  French  religious  imitations 

4.  Later  French  religious  poetry  ;  its  influence 

B.  Text  of  the  Middle  English  Penitential  Lyrics    . 

C.  Notes  and  Bibliography 


25 

26-29 

26-27 

27-28 

28 

28 

29 

29-45 
29-40 
29-37 
37-40 

40-45 
40-41 

41 
41-44 

42-43 
43-44 
44-45 

47-155 
•  157 


IX 


INTRODUCTION 


In  making  a  study  of  the  Middle  English  religious  lyrics  — 
or  rather  of  a  section  of  these  lyrics  —  it  becomes  necessary 
at  the  outset  to  define  carefully  the  limits  within  which  the 
study  is  carried  on.  By  Middle  English  I  mean  English  litera- 
ture from  the  Norman  Conquest  to  Tottel's  Miscellany.  Per- 
haps the  close  of  the  period  should  be  set  earlier  in  the  century, 
but  for  the  purposes  of  this  monograph,  no  clear  distinction 
can  be  drawn  between  the  religious  poetry  of  1500  and  that 
of  1557  ;  the  anonymous  devotional  poetry  was  all  essentially 
of  the  same  character,  and  was  little  influenced,  on  the  one 
hand  by  the  Reformation,  or  on  the  other  by  the  Renaissance. 
The  term  religious  gives  little  difficulty,  though  it  is  well  to 
remember  that  religious  lyric  as  here  used  does  not  include 
those  lyrical  poems  of  a  moralizing  tone  which  became  so 
prominent  in  the  fifteenth  century.  Lyrics  on  the  general 
subject  of  death  or  the  miseries  of  age,  though  often  religious  in 
tone,  are  not  essentially  devotional,  and  are  therefore  excluded. 
It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  here  into  any  detailed  discussion 
of  the  many  theories  regarding  the  exact  meaning  of  the  term, 
lyric.  In  determining  the  character  of  any  given  poem  I  have 
employed  the  test  used  by  Palgrave,1  who  wrote:  'Lyrical 
has  been  here  held  essentially  to  imply  that  each  Poem  shall 
turn  on  some  single  thought,  feeling,  or  situation.'  We  may 
dwell  upon  other  characteristics  of  this  form  of  verse  —  re- 
membering the  history  of  the  Provencal  lyric,  we  may  insist 
on  the  singing  quality  of  the  poems,  or  we  may  declare  with 

1  Preface  to  the  Golden  Treasury,  London,  1861. 

B  1 


Gaston  Paris  that  the  term  often  means  'subjective  poetry* ; * 
yet  we  shall  come  in  the  end  to  believe  that  the  one  require- 
ment of  the  lyric  is  unity,  and  that  this  unity  must  be  one  of 
emotion.2  It  is  this  principle  of  unity  to  which  I  have  adhered 
constantly  in  trying  to  determine  the  general  class  of  poems  to 
be  admitted  into  this  collection. 

Having  segregated  all  the  religious  lyrics,  we  find  that  it  is  a 
far  more  difficult  task  to  discover  a  further  classification  within 
which  these  poems  shall  be  distributed  according  to  their  true 
nature.  From  the  time  of  Warton  to  the  present  day,  the 
prevailing  method  has  been  to  group  them  by  means  of 
external  —  almost  accidental  —  names,  such  as  Prayers  to 
God,  to  Christ,  and  to  the  Virgin  Mary.  But  such  a  classifica- 
tion is  at  open  variance  with  the  conception  of  the  lyric  as  given 
above,  for  the  unity  of  the  lyric  is  not  expressed  by  a  title 
chosen  from  some  convenient  external  feature  of  the  poem, 
but  by  a  title  which  in  itself  signifies  the  nature  of  the  emotion 
that  is  embodied  in  the  lyric. 

That  such  a  division  of  lyrics  as  Prayers  to  God  must  contain 
poems  which  differ  widely  in  the  kinds  of  emotion  that  they 
express,  hardly  needs  proof ;  and  that  such  a  grouping  cannot 
include  all  the  poems  which  resemble  one  another  in  their 
emotional  characteristics  is  admirably  illustrated  by  No.  56 
in  this  collection  —  A  preyer  to  pe  fine  woundes.  In  content, 
this  poem  is  a  prayer  to  Christ,  asking  that  his  love  may  be 
fixed  in  the  heart  of  the  suppliant.  In  the  notes  there  is 
printed  a  second  poem,  which  is  obviously  modeled  upon  this 
lyric,  but  with  this  difference,  that  Mary  has  been  substituted 
for  Christ  and  her  five  joys  for  the  five  wounds  —  yet  the 
emotional  quality  of  the  poem  remains  unchanged.     German 

1  On  prend  quelquefois  le  mot  de  po6sie  lyrique  dans  le  sens  de  po6sie  sub- 
jective, exprimant  des  sentiments  tout  personnels ;  dans  ce  sens  il  exclut  n6ces- 
sairement  la  plus  grande  partie  de  la  po6sie  populaire.  La  Litterature  Francaise 
au  Moycn  Age,  Paris,  1905,  p.  191. 

*  See  Erskine,  The  Elizabethan  Lyric,  New  York,  1903,  Chapter  I,  for  a  further 
development  of  this  theory. 


scholars  have  likewise  classed  together  all  the  addresses  to 
Mary  and  have  called  them  Mariengebete,  or  have  collected  the 
lyrical  and  dramatic  laments  of  the  Virgin  and  have  called 
them  Marienklagen.  In  the  latter  case  the  classification  is 
perfectly  legitimate,  for  the  title  signifies  the  nature  of  the 
poem;  but  for  the  Mariengebete  no  such  excuse  exists,  as  a 
prayer  to  Mary  may  express  any  one  of  many  religious  emo- 
tions, —  it  may  be  a  prayer  of  confession,  a  supplication  for 
mercy,  an  avowal  of  reformation,  or  an  expression  of  mystic 
love-longing.  In  fact,  a  title  more  artificial  and  meaningless 
would  be  hard  to  find.  Such  a  division  has  the  advantage  of 
being  easy  to  define,  for  any  one  can  tell  a  Mariengebet;  but, 
like  the  similar  classification  spoken  of  above,  it  fails  to  reveal 
the  essential  nature  of  the  poem,  or  the  underlying  and  de- 
termining emotion  of  the  poet,  and  so  fails  in  a  most  important 
requisite,  because  the  lyrical  expression  of  an  emotion  demands 
more  than  a  mere  chance-chosen  title.  A  classification  that 
pays  no  attention  to  the  lyrical  units  involved  must  be  un- 
satisfactory. 

Since  the  existing  method  of  classification  fails  to  arrange 
these  poems  according  to  their  essential  characteristics,  and  puts 
beside  one  another  lyrics  of  the  most  diverse  emotions,  it  may 
be  profitable  to  approach  the  subject  from  a  different  point  of 
view,  and  instead  of  considering  merely  external  features  as  a 
basis  for  grouping,  to  look  rather  at  the  internal  character  of 
the  poems. 

An  important  fact  in  the  history  of  religion  in  Western 
Europe  during  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  was  the 
growth  and  spread  of  mysticism.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that 
these  poems,  arising  for  the  most  part  directly  as  a  result  of 
that  religious  awakening,  would  not  show  in  almost  every  line 
traces  of  such  influence.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  even  the  most 
trite  and  conventional  of  these  lyrics,  such  as  poems  of  con- 
fession, indicate  in  a  surprising  manner,  by  chance  phrases, 
how  intimately  the  new  religious  ideals  had  entered  into  the 


life  of  the  people  and  of  their  clergy.  There  is  scarcely  a  poem 
in  this  selection  that  does  not  give  evidence  in  its  thought, 
in  its  realistic  handling  of  details,  in  its  expression  of  self- 
annihilation,  of  lively  horror  of  sin,  or  of  passionate  love- 
longing  for  God,  that  mysticism,  whether  accepted  by  all  the 
writers  or  not,  had  yet  in  every  case  left  its  impress  upon  their 
minds.  Since  the  religious  lyrics  in  Middle  English  as  a  whole 
are  above  all  else  mystic,  to  mysticism  we  must  look  for  assist- 
ance in  determining  our  classification. 

Mysticism,  as  it  developed  in  Western  Europe  during  the 
twelfth  century,  was  a  reaction  against  the  cold,  intellectual 
tenets  of  scholasticism.  Its  fundamental  doctrine  was  an 
implicit,  unquestioning  faith  that  appealed  directly  to  the 
feelings.  Its  purpose  was  a  union  with  God  in  this  earthly 
life ;  and  its  method  was  extremely  plain,  for  it  demanded  only 
a  complete,  all-absorbing  consecration.  The  constant  prayer 
of  the  mystics  was  for  a  closer  walk  with  God,  while  their 
daily  life  was  a  practical  justification  of  the  Christian  faith. 
Since  this  absolute  devotion  needed  little  theory,  mysticism  in 
the  twelfth  century  was  essentially  a  simple  method  of  life, 
free  from  all  the  intricate  doctrines  of  scholasticism.  Its 
main  principles  may  be  stated  easily. 

St.  Bernard  and  his  followers  declared  that  the  soul  in  its 
progress  to  God  passed  through  three  distinct  stages.  The 
first  was  called  purification  in  which  the  soul  was  purged  by 
penitence  from  the  gross  sin  in  which  it  had  been  born,  and 
had  lived.  In  this  stage  of  purification  most  men  spent  their 
lives,  'euer  lyk  to  synne  and  euer  repenting.'  It  is  this  first 
degree  of  love  for  God  that  'behoues  ilk  man  haue  j>at  wil  be 
safe.' l  Some,  however,  attained  a  more  perfect  state,  and 
entered  the  second  stage,  illuminatio,  in  which  their  souls 
reached  a  higher  purity  than  they  had  before  experienced,  and 
were  filled  with  a  longing  for  God  in  His  beauty.  To  a  very 
few  —  a  much  smaller  number  than  is  generally  believed  — 

1 R.  R-,  I,  S3- 


it  was  vouchsafed  at  times  to  pass  into  a  third  stage,  con- 
templatio,  where  their  spirits  saw  and  heard  things  not  lawful 
to  utter. 

Mysticism,  it  should  be  noticed,  was  from  its  inception  in 
closest  touch  with  the  Church.  It  had  its  very  roots  in  the 
writings  of  the  Apostles,  notably  of  St.  John  and  St.  Paul ; 1 
and  its  development,  though  doubtless  influenced  by  the  writ- 
ings of  pagan  mystics,  was  not  without  the  Church,  but  within  it. 
So,  as  mysticism  spread  and  developed,  it  affected  the  Church 
from  within,  but  in  so  slow  and  orthodox  a  manner  that  the 
change  was  universally  felt  only  in  the  more  exalted  ideals  of 
those  who  lived  the  contemplative  life,  or  in  the  increased 
sincerity  and  usefulness  of  those  who  lived  the  active  life. 

I  suggest  that  the  Middle  English  religious  lyrics,  since 
they  were  written  either  by  mystics  themselves,  or  by  poets 
that  had  come  under  the  influence  of  mystic  thought  and  expe- 
rience, should  be  grouped  according  to  the  different  states  of 
mystic  progress,  or  to  put  it  more  clearly,  according  to  the 
three  main  principles  of  mystic  doctrine.  Such  a  division  would 
have  the  advantage  of  including  those  religious  lyrics  that  are 
not,  at  least  to  us,  peculiarly  mystic,  for  mysticism  itself  in- 
cluded all  the  doctrines  and  sacraments  of  the  Church;  and 
so,  while  this  classification  would  not  exclude  the  humblest 
and  most  commonplace  of  prayers,  it  would  yet  have  room  for 
the  most  exalted  songs  of  mystic  experience.  But  because  a 
classification  cannot  be  made  strictly  according  to  the  differ- 
ent stages  of  mystic  progress,  in  grouping  I  would  abandon  the 
technical  names  of  these  states,  and  be  content  to  apply  the 
principle  without  insisting  upon  too  rigid  division  lines ;  for, 
indeed,  no  system  of  classifying  poems  should  be  too  strictly 
followed  out. 

In  the  first  large  division  are  grouped  those  poems  that 
express  repentance  in  its  widest  sense,  as  it  hardly  needs  to  be 
said  that  the  essence  of  the  purification  stage  was  the  expul- 

1  Cf.  Inge,  Christian  Mysticism,  London,  1899,  Lecture  II. 


6 


sion  of  sin  by  penitence,  by  deep  sorrow,  'by  weeping  sin- 
cerely and  by  wearying  heaven  with  prayers.' l  In  the  second 
division  are  included  those  poems  which  are  connected  more 
naturally,  perhaps,  with  mystic  belief  —  such  as  the  songs  of 
love-longing,  and  certain  prayers,  especially  meditations, 
which  were  often  composed  by  the  mystics  to  further  their 
progress  in  divine  love.  This  second  group  includes  prac- 
tically all  the  lyrics  outside  the  first  class,  for,  though  mystics 
that  entered  the  highest  state  of  love  were  evidently  wont  to 
burst  into  song,2  for  present  purposes  there  can  be  no  distinc- 
tion drawn  between  different  degrees  of  love-longing.  The  two 
larger  divisions,  then,  of  English  religious  lyric  poetry  of  the 
Middle  Ages  are  :  — 

I.   Poems  of  Purification. 

II.  Poems  of  Divine  Love-longing  (including  all  poems 
that  express  emotions  peculiar  to  the  states  of 
illuminatio  and  of  contemplatio) . 

It  is  with  the  first  class  of  poems  that  this  study  deals. 

Penance,  the  Church  has  always  held,  is  the  first  duty  of  the 
sinner.  The  mystics  laid  much  emphasis  upon  this  sacrament ; 
St.  Bernard  declared  with  the  Psalmist  that  the  'first  sacrifice 
to  be  made  to  God  is  a  troubled  and  contrite  heart,' 3  and  every 
mystic  treatise  affirmed  that  the  chief  acts  of  purification  were 
those  connected  with  penitence.  Instead,  then,  of  using 
Poems  of  Purification  as  a  title  for  this  division  of  lyrics,  I  shall 
use  Penitential  Poems,  as  being  more  self-evident  in  its  meaning 
and  more  easily  limited  according  to  Church  doctrines. 

The  Council  of  Trent  in  1551  acknowledged  and  defined  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance  4  as  follows :  — 

1  Cf.  St.  Bernard,  Sermones  in  Cantica  Canticorum,  xxxvii,  Paris,  1719. 

2  Richard  Rolle,  Horstman,  I,  59. 

'  St.  Bernard,  Sermones  in  Cantica  Canticorum,  x ;  translated  by  Eales,  Lon- 
don, 1896,  IV,  51. 

4  The  Canons  and  Decrees  of  the  Sacred  and  (Ecumenical  Council  of  Trent. 
Translated  by  the  Reverend  J.  Waterworth,  London  [1848],  pp.  92-96. 


But  because  God,  rich  in  mercy,  knows  our  frame,  He  hath  bestowed 
a  remedy  of  life  even  on  those  who  may,  after  baptism,  have  de- 
livered themselves  up  to  the  servitude  of  sin  and  the  power  of  the 
Devil  —  the  sacrament,  to  wit,  of  Penance,  by  which  the  death  of 
Christ  is  applied  to  those  who  have  fallen  after  baptism. 

Session  XIV,  chapter  I. 
It  further  declared :  — 

The  acts  of  the  penitent,  himself,  to  wit,  contrition,  confession,  and 
satisfaction,  are,  as  it  were,  the  matter  of  this  sacrament.  Which 
acts,  inasmuch  as  they  are,  by  God's  institution,  required  in  the 
penitent  for  the  integrity  of  the  sacrament  and  for  the  full  and  per- 
fect remission  of  sins,  are  for  this  reason  called  the  parts  of  penance. 

Session  XIV,  chapter  III. 
Contrition,  which  holds  the  first  place  amongst  the  aforesaid  acts  of 
the  penitent,  is  a  sorrow  of  mind,  and  a  detestation  for  sin  committed, 
with  the  purpose  of  not  sinning  for  the  future.  .  .  .  Wherefore  the 
holy  Synod  declares  that  this  contrition  contains  not  only  a  cessa- 
tion from  sin,  and  the  purpose  and  the  beginning  of  a  new  life,  but 
also  a  hatred  of  the  old. 

Session  XIV,  chapter  IV. 

And  as  to  that  imperfect  contrition,  which  is  called  attrition,  be- 
cause that  it  is  commonly  conceived  either  from  the  consideration 
of  the  turpitude  of  sin,  or  from  the  fear  of  hell  and  of  punishment, 
It  declares  .  .  .  that  it  is  even  a  gift  of  God. 

Session  XIV,  chapter  IV. 

Penance  then  consists  of  three  parts :  contrition,  confession, 
and  satisfaction.  The  last,  satisfaction,  which  consists  of  the 
'  acceptance  and  accomplishment  of  certain  penitential  works, 
in  atonement  of  the  sin  confessed/  *  obviously  cannot  concern 
us  here,  and  may  be  dismissed.  Contrition,  the  Council  de- 
clared, consists  of  (i)  a  sorrow  for  sin ;  (2)  a  purpose  of  amend- 
ment, together  with  a  hatred  of  the  old  life.  It  also  stated  that 
imperfect  contrition,  or  attrition,  under  which  men  ordinarily 
repent,  arises  from  the  'consideration  of  the  turpitude  of  sin, 
or  from  the  fear  of  hell  and  of  punishment.'  Confession  is  a 
declaration  of  sin  before  an  approved  priest,  either  in  public  or 
private. 

1  The  New  International  Encyclopcedia,  New  York,  s.v.  Penance. 


8 

This  very  full  and  accurate  definition  of  the  Sacrament  of 
Penance  was  not  new  to  the  Church  when  the  Council  of 
Trent  promulgated  it  in  1551.  The  Lateran  Council  in  12 15 
had  ordered  laymen  to  confess  at  least  once  a  year,  and  in  the 
literature  of  the  later  Middle  Ages  constant  references  to  the 
Parts  of  Penance  are  found.  Dante  was  familiar  with  the 
doctrine,  and  English  literature  abounds  in  references  to  iden- 
tical conceptions  —  as  witness  Chaucer's  Parson,  who  declares 
that  'contricioun  is  the  verray  sorwe  that  a  man  receyveth 
in  his  herte  for  his  synnes,  with  sad  purpos  to  shryve  hym  and 
to  do  penaunce,  and  neveremoore  to  do  synne.' '  Likewise, 
the  Prymer  of  Salisbury  begins  a  short  treatise  on  Confession 
in  these  words  :  — 
1  Fyrst :  What  is  penitence  ? 

Penitence  is  the  emendacyon  of  the  lyfe,  with  inwarde  con- 
tricyon  of  hert  for  the  synne  committed :  with  a  full  purpose 
never  to  do  the  synne  agayn.' 2 

Applying  this  definition  of  penance,  as  it  was  fully  stated  in 
the  acts  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  to  the  classification  of  the 
penitential  lyrics,  we  find  that  they  fall  naturally  into  two 
classes.  In  the  first  group  are  those  poems  which  express  a 
confession  of  sin ; 3  in  the  second,  those  in  which  the  emotion  is 
that  of  contrition.  This  latter  class  is  further  divided  into 
two  groups :  poems  expressing  a  sorrow  for  sin,  and  poems 
expressing  a  desire  for  amendment. 

In  the  practical  application  of  these  theories  of  classification, 
as  has  been  said,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  at  every  point  that 
the  lines  of  demarcation  must  not  be  drawn  too  rigidly.  The 
lyric  in  itself  involves  unity  of  emotion.  It  is  the  nature  of 
this  unit  as  a  whole,  not  of  single  detached  elements  of  this 
unit,  that  must  finally  determine  the  classification  of  a  poem. 

1  The  Parson's  Tale,  11.  127-130. 

2  Maskell,  Monumenta  Ritnalia,  London,  1846,  II,  p.  271. 

3  For  reasons  of  simplicity,  I  have  in  grouping  placed  confession  before  con- 
trition. 


9 


To  illustrate,  confessions  early  in  the  thirteenth  century  or 
before  took  conventionalized  forms  in  which  the  main  ele- 
ment was  a  rehearsal  of  sins ;  but  the  fact  that  a  sinner  enumer- 
ates his  sins  implies  contrition  on  his  part  as  the  cause  of  such 
enumeration.  It  would  be  strange  indeed  if  expressions  of 
this  fundamental  cause  —  a  sorrow  for  sin  —  did  not  at  times 
enter  into  the  strictest  of  confessions.  And  so  in  the  first 
poem,  A  General  Confession,  there  are  lines  which  plainly 
indicate  contrition.  Again,  take  No.  22.  In  this  poem 
we  have  an  acknowledgment  of  the  seven  deadly  sins,  and 
other  elements  that  come  directly  from  liturgical  confes- 
sions, yet  the  scribe  was  clearly  right  in  calling  the  prayer  'a 
deuoyt  Meditacione ' ;  for  there  is  no  poem  in  this  collection 
that  in  its  entirety  gives  so  complete  an  expression  of  a  contrite 
and  sorrowing  sinner.  Thus  David,  in  what  is  perhaps  the 
most  perfect  example  of  a  contrition  poem  ever  written,  finds 
occasion  to  say,  'I  acknowledge  my  transgressions,  and  my 
sin  is  ever  before  me.'  In  truth,  it  is  hard  to  conceive  of  a 
man  as  expressing  a  real  deeply  felt  sorrow  for  sin,  without 
incidentally  mentioning  the  sins  for  which  he  is  penitent. 

So  it  must  be  remembered,  that,  though  the  parts  of  penance 
were  clearly  established  in  the  minds  of  medieval  Christians, 
in  the  classification  of  penitential  poems  the  boundary  lines 
are  not  fast  and  firm,  but  are  ever  fluctuating;  since  in  its 
very  nature,  confession  implies  contrition,  and  contrition  im- 
plies at  least  something  of  confession.  The  Council  had  indeed 
said  as  much  as  this,  for  it  declared  that  there  are  three  prin- 
cipal emotions  in  the  mind  of  the  penitent  —  confession  of 
sin,  sorrow  for  sin,  and  a  desire  for  amendment.  We  shall  find, 
therefore,  that  all  these  emotions  may  enter  into  a  penitential 
lyric,  and  yet  not  destroy  its  perfect  unity.  It  is  the  predomi- 
nance of  one  emotion  that  must  determine  the  emotional  unity 
of  the  poem,  and  hence,  its  classification. 

This  grouping  has  little  of  the  rigidity  that  it  appears  to 
assume  when  presented  in  outline  as  hereafter.     The  chief 


10 

value  of  the  definitions  gained  from  the  Council  of  Trent  lies 
in  the  fact  that  they  give  us  a  firm  basis  for  determining  what 
constitutes  a  penitential  lyric.  If  by  using  these  definitions 
we  are  able  to  group  the  lyrics  among  themselves,  and  so,  by 
psychological  principles,  to  place  in  proximity  poems  of  like 
nature,  it  is  desirable ;  but  it  must  always  be  distinctly  under- 
stood that  such  a  grouping  is  entirely  tentative  and  suggestive, 
and  by  no  means  inevitable. 

A  few  words  further  in  regard  to  the  practical  application  of 
this  scheme  will  not  be  out  of  place.  A  confession,  as  I  have 
considered  it,  is  a  poem  in  which  the  main  emotion  is  an 
acknowledgment  of  sin.  The  confessions  based  upon  the 
liturgy  furnish  the  standard.  These  I  have  divided  into  two 
classes,  public  and  extended  confessions.  The  public  con- 
fession is  the  confiteor  that  was  used  in  all  the  Western  churches 
during  the  time  in  which  these  poems  were  written.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  parts  :  the  confession  proper,  in  which  acknowl- 
edgment of  sin  was  made;  and  the  prayer  for  intercession 
with  which  it  closed.1  So  in  any  confession  poem  the  main 
element  is  a  declaration  of  sin ;  but  at  the  same  time  a  prayer 
for  forgiveness  and  mercy,  corresponding  to  the  prayer  for 
intercession,  is  natural,  and  strictly  in  agreement  with  the 
model  confiteor.  Extended  confessions  are  a  further  develop- 
ment of  liturgical  forms.  They  are  found  in  English  as  well  as 
in  Latin  prose.  They  are  most  frequent  in  the  Prymers,  where 
they  were  evidently  used  as  private  devotions.  They  are 
usually,  though  not  necessarily,  addressed  directly  to  the 
Divinity,  and  consist  of  a  detailed  rehearsal  of  sins,  covering 
the  ten  commandments,  the  five  wits,  the  seven  deadly  sins, 
and  other  conventional  enumerations  of  error  and  wrong- 
doing.2 

Other  confessions  have  the  same  general  emotion  as  the 
liturgical  poems ;  but  the  acknowledgment  of  sin  is  less  formal, 

1  See  the  note  to  No.  i  for  a  model  confession. 

2  See  the  note  to  No.  3  for  a  typical  extended  confession. 


11 

while  the  prayer  for  mercy  is  likely  to  occupy  a  more  promi- 
nent part,  appearing  often  in  every  stanza. 

Contrition  poems  are  those  in  which  the  main  feeling  is 
(i)  a  sorrow  for  sin  or  (2)  a  purpose  of  amendment.  The  emo- 
tion of  the  first  class  of  these  poems  may  arise  from  a  '  con- 
sideration of  the  turpitude  of  sin  or  from  a  fear  of  hell  and  of 
punishment.'  Hence,  we  infer  that  a  contrition  poem  may 
deal  with  past  sins ;  in  this  form  of  prayer  the  sinner  loathes 
his  infirmities,  and  calls  out  to  God  for  pardon  and  mercy.1 
Or  a  contrition  poem  may  express  little  of  what  is  usually 
considered  sorrow  for  sin,  as  the  poet  becomes  more  and  more 
concerned  with  a  fear  of  the  future  judgment  in  his  typical 
cry,  'Loverd,  shyld  me  vrom  helle  deth.' 2 

The  second  group  of  contrition  poems  —  I  do  not  care  to 
say  division,  for  the  line  of  separation  is  not  marked,  neither 
is  it  necessarily  fundamental  —  consists  of  poems  in  which  the 
main  emotion  is  a  purpose  of  amendment,  stated  or  implied. 
Hence,  in  this  second  group,  the  poems  deal  principally  with  the 
future  earthly  life,  not  as  in  the  first  group,  with  the  past  life 
or  the  future  judgment.  Sometimes,  as  in  No.  49,  the  poet 
resolves  definitely  to  reform.  More  often,  however,  the  peni- 
tent prays  that  in  the  future  he  may  do  no  more  deadly  sin, 
and  that  he  may  have  Heaven's  protection  from  harm  and  the 
wiles  of  the  devil. 

It  may  seem  that  the  distinction  between  these  two  groups 
of  contrition  poems  is  too  slight  to  justify  a  separation.  Since 
in  grouping  poems  within  a  large  division,  it  is  desirable  to 
place  near  each  other  pieces  of  identical  emotion,  so  long  as  we 
keep  within  the  large  class,  we  may  group  as  the  emotion  seems 
to  indicate,  without,  however,  establishing  too  sharp  division 
lines.  By  comparing  a  typical  poem  of  the  former  group  with 
one  from  the  latter  group  it  will  be  at  once  apparent  that  the 
two  subdivisions  are  fairly  distinct,  and  that,  were  the  line  of 

1  The  typical  example  of  this  group  of  contrition  poems  is  found  in  the  fifty- 
first  Psalm,  before  mentioned.  2  No.  11. 


12 


division  withdrawn,  we  should  have  poems  of  unlike  nature  in 
close  proximity.     Take  for  instance,  the  first  lines  of  No.  22  :  — 

Ihesu,  mercy  !  mercy,  I  cry  : 

myn  vgly  synnes  J>ou  me  forgyfe. 
pe  werlde,  my  flesch,  f>e  fende,  felly 

fai  me  besale  both  strange  &  styfe ; 
I  hafe  ful  oft  to  f>aim  consent, 

&  so  to  do  it  is  gret  drede ; 
I  ask  mercy  with  gud  entent ; 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  mysdede  ! 

Throughout  this  poem  the  predominating  emotion  is  a  sorrow 
for  sin,  for  the  poet  is  thinking  almost  entirely  of  his  past  life 
and  of  the  future  judgment.  Compare  with  this  poem  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  either  in  the  translations  or  the  paraphrases,1 
and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  main  emotion  is  always  a  desire  to 
be  kept  from  sin  and  to  be  helped  in  this  present  earthly  life. 
Thus  the  original  of  the  poems  reads  :  '  Thy  kingdom  come  : 
thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven ;  give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread.  .  .  .  Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver 
us  from  evil.'  It  is  obvious  that,  although  the  poems  of  the 
two  groups  have  elements  in  common,  —  for  the  Lord's  prayer 
has  the  petition,  'Forgive  us  our  trespasses,'  —  to  place 
together  poems  as  unlike  as  are  the  typical  ones  compared 
above,  is  to  introduce  needless  confusion  and  to  disregard  their 
real  nature. 

I  have  elsewhere  treated  the  indebtedness  of  many  of  these 
lyrics  to  the  liturgy ;  accordingly  I  have  subdivided  each  large 
group  into  liturgical  and  non-liturgical  lyrics;  and  I  have 
further  tried  to  group  poems  of  a  like  nature  by  placing  together 
all  lyrics  with  similar  titles,  when  such  poems  have  a  common 
underlying  emotion. 

1  Such,  for  instance,  as  No.  40. 


13 


Classification  of  Penitential  Lyrics 

A.  Poems  of  Confession. 

I.  Liturgical. 

a.  Public. 

(i)  i.  A  General  Confession. 

(2)  2.  A  Form  of  Confession. 

b.  Extended. 

(3)  1.  General  Confession  of  Sins. 

(4)  2.  A  Confessioun  to  Ihesu  crist. 

II.  Non-Liturgical. 
a.  Informal. 

(5)  1.  As  I  wandrede  her  bi  weste. 

(6)  2.  I  wite  my  self  myne  owne  woo. 

(7)  3.  A  Prayer  to  our  Lady. 

(8)  4.  He>e  louerd,  pou  here  my  bone. 

(9)  5.  God  pat  al  )?is  myhtes  may. 

B.  Poems  Expressing  Contrition. 
a.  Sorrow  for  Sin. 

I.  Liturgical. 

a.  Paraphrases  and  Translations  of  Portions  of  Services. 

(10)  1.  The  Prayer. 

(11)  2.  Loverd,  Shyld  Me  vrom  Helle  Deth. 

(12)  3.  In  Manus  Tuas. 

(13)  4.  To  our  Lady. 

b.  Poems  Built  upon  the  Litany. 

(14)  1.  Prey  We  to  the  Trinyte. 

c.  Other  Poems  Showing  Strong  Liturgical  Influence. 

(15)  1.  A  Short  Prayer  after  the  Levation  for  Mercy. 

(16)  2.  A  preyer  at  J>e  leuacioun. 

(17)  3.  Ihesu,  Fili  Dei,  Miserere  Me. 

(18)  4.  Prayer  for  God's  Mercy. 

(19)  5.  Prayer  to  Mary. 

(20)  6.  Prayer  to  St.  Elene. 

(21)  7.  Deus  in  nomine  tuo  saluum  me  fac. 


14 


II.  Non-Liturgical. 

a.  Prayers  to  the  Deity. 

(22)  1.  Ihesu,  Mercy  for  my  Mysdede  ! 

(23)  2.  An  orisoun  to  vr  lord  Ihesu. 

(24)  3.  Ihesu  Criste,  haue  mercy  one  me. 

(25)  4.  her  biginne)?  an  orisun  of  )>e  trinite. 

(26)  5.  Do  mercy  to  fore  thi  jugement. 

(27)  6.  Iesu  crist,  heouene  kyng. 

(28)  7.  To  The,  Maist  Peirlas  Prince  of  Pece. 

b.  Poems  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

(29)  1.  Hail,  Mary! 

(30)  2.  Hymn  of  the  Virgin. 

(31)  3.  An  Orison  to  our  Lady. 

(32)  4.  A  Song  to  the  Virgin. 

(33)  5-  Nou  skrinkej?  rose  &  lylie  flour. 

c.  Timor  Mortis  Poems. 

(34)  1.  The  best  Song  as  hit  semeth  me. 

(35)  2.  Evere  more,  where  so  euer  I  be. 

(36)  3.  In  what  estate  so  euer  I  be. 

(37)  4.  Alas,  my  hart  will  brek  in  thre. 

(38)  5.  Timor  Mortis  Conturbat  Me. 
/3.  Prayers  to  Be  Kept  from  Sin,  and  for  Aid. 

I.  Liturgical. 

a.  Translations  and  Paraphrases. 

(39)  1.  Pater  Noster  in  Anglico. 

(40)  2.  Pater  Noster. 

(41)  3.  Hymn  to  God. 

(42)  4.  Heyl,  levedy,  se-stoerre  bryht. 

(43)  5.  A  Prayer  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

(44)  6.  Come,  Shuppere,  Holy  Gost. 

(45)  7.  A  Prayer  for  Grace. 

(46)  8.  To  J?e  gude  angell. 
II.  Non-Liturgical. 

a.  Resolves  to  Reform. 

(47)  1.  A  Resolve  to  Reform. 


15 


b.  General  Prayers  to  the  Deity  j or  Protection  from  Sin. 

(48)  1.  A  Morning  Thanksgiving  and  Prayer  to 

God. 

(49)  2.  An  Orisoun  to  god. 

(50)  3.  Mane  Nobiscum,  Domine  ! 

(51)  4.  Prayer  for  the  Seven  Gifts  of  the  Holy 

Ghost. 

c.  Prayers  to  Christ. 

(52)  1.  Oratio  magistri  Richardi  de  castre,  quam 

ipse  posuit. 

(53)  2.  Hymn  to  Jesus  Christ. 

(54)  3.  Alya  Cantica. 

(55)  4.  An  Orisoun  to  pe  fyue  Woundes  of  iesu 

cristus. 

(56)  5.  A  preyer  to  j>e  flue  woundes. 

(57)  6.  Invocation  to  the  Cross. 

d.  Prayers  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

(58)  1.  Godric's  Song  to  the  Virgin. 

(59)  2.  To  the  Virgin  Mary. 

(60)  3.  Oracio  ad  Sanctam  Mariam. 

(61)  4.  A  preiere  to  vre  ladi. 

(62)  5.  Another  Prayer  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

(63)  6.  An  orisoun  to  the  fyue  ioyes  of  vre  lady. 

(64)  7.  Hymn  to  the  Virgin. 

(65)  8.  Iblessed  beo  J?u,  Lauedi. 

(66)  9.  Seinte  Marie,  Moder  Milde. 

(67)  10.  An  orison  to  vr  lady. 

(68)  11.  The  Five  Joys  of  the  Virgin. 

(69)  12.  Hymn  to  the  Virgin. 

n 

This  monograph  does  not  attempt  to  study  the  early  history 
of  the  Middle  English  lyric,  or  to  give  a  mere  repetition  of  facts 
already  many  times  told  and  readily  accessible.     No  attempt 


16 

then  will  be  made  to  sketch  the  chronological  development  of 
the  vernacular  lyric.1  The  problems  with  which  the  remainder 
of  this  study  has  to  deal  are  two  :  first  a  consideration  of  the 
conditions  of  medieval  English  life  which  brought  about  this 
apparently  sudden  growth  of  the  vernacular  religious  lyric ; 
and  secondly,  a  study  of  the  literary  influences  that  affected 
the  poems  printed  in  the  present  volume. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Middle  English  religious  lyric  did  not 
develop  so  quickly  as  the  few  early  poems  that  have  survived 
might  lead  us  to  believe.  Extant  specimens  of  religious  lyrics 
in  Anglo-Saxon  prove  that  the  vernacular  was  sometimes  used 
in  this  kind  of  verse.2  There  are  references  in  the  Latin 
chroniclers,  also,  that  sustain  the  point.  Particularly  inter- 
esting is  the  account  which  William  of  Malmesbury 3  gives  of 
Aldhelm,4  who  used  to  stand  on  a  bridge,  singing  secular  dit- 
ties till  he  had  gained  the  attention  of  passers-by,  when  he 
began  gradually  to  introduce  religious  ideas  into  his  songs. 

During  the  years  preceding  the  Norman  Conquest  as  well  as 
during  the  century  following  it,  the  practice  of  singing  religious 
songs  in  the  vernacular  can  hardly  have  been  uncommon.     It 

1  There  is  no  good  history  of  the  Middle  English  lyric.  Ten  Brink's  account 
in  his  History  of  English  Literature,  though  slight,  is  the  most  satisfactory. 
Something  will  be  found  in  other  histories  of  Middle  English  literature,  though 
as  a  rule  such  accounts  are  of  little  value,  for  the  main  interest  of  the  writers  of 
general  histories  lies  in  other  fields,  such  as  romances  and  tales.  Of  the 
special  studies,  Mr.  E.  K.  Chambers's  essay,  in  Chambers  and  Sidgwick's  Early 
English  Lyrics,  is  enlightening ;  he  deals  especially  with  the  origin  of  the  lyric. 
In  this  connection  should  be  mentioned  two  notable  studies  by  French  scholars 
on  the  origin  of  the  French  lyrics  —  A.  Jeanroy,  Les  Origines  de  la  Poesie  lyriquc 
en  France  au  Moyen  Age,  Paris,  1892 ;  and  Gaston  Paris's  review  of  the  same 
in  the  Journal  des  Savants,  1892.  For  the  later  lyrics,  Professor  Padelford's 
Chapter  on  Transition  Song  Collections,  in  the  Cambridge  History  of  English 
Literature,  should  be  mentioned;  his  introduction  to  the  Early  Sixteenth  Cen- 
tury Lyrics  is  also  excellent.  The  field  of  the  Middle  English  lyric  is  interesting 
in  many  ways;  I  hope  some  time  to  write  an  account  of  the  development  of 
this  vernacular  verse. 

2  Cf.  Grein  und  Wiilker,  Bibliothek  der  angelsachsischen  Poesie,  II,  211  ff. 

9  De  Gest.  Pontif.  Angl.  Lib.  V,  Pars  prima,  in  Migne,  Patrologur,  179,  1621. 
4  Aldhelm  died  in  709. 


17 

is  only  from  the  latter  part  of  the  twelfth  century,  however, 
that  the  earliest  extant  religious  vernacular  lyrics  date.  St. 
Godric,  who  died  in  1170,  wrote  three  short  English  poems.  In 
these  songs  are  found  all  the  essential  qualities  of  later  lyrics  — 
the  mysticism,  the  expression  of  divine  love  in  terms  of  worldly 
affection,  and  to  a  slight  extent,  the  liturgical  origin  of  phrases. 
A  little  later  the  Poema  Morale  1  and  On  God  Ureisun  of  ure 
Lefdi 2  were  written.  It  is  impossible  from  this  time  to  trace 
with  accuracy  the  history  of  the  English  religious  lyric. 
Poetry  as  a  means  of  religious  instruction  or  as  a  mode  for 
expressing  divine  emotion  became  popular  in  a  manner  that 
was  doubtless  unknown  in  England  before.  Every  kind  of 
religious  feeling  found  expression  in  verse ;  prayers  fell  natu- 
rally into  rhyme,  and  sermons  took  the  likeness  of  poetry. 
Friars  found  it  convenient  to  set  forth  in  easily  remembered 
verse  the  simple  teachings  of  the  faith,  and  monks  in  their 
monasteries  turned  irresistibly  in  their  adoration  for  Mary  to 
expression  in  song ;  even  the  lonely  hermit  having  reached  the 
glories  of  a  union  with  God,  exclaimed,  ']>e  sange  of  louyng  & 
of  lufe  es  commen.' 3 

Yet  with  all  this  verse-making  there  existed  much  doubt  of  its 
real  religious  value ;  for,  when  friars,  monks,  clerks,  and  even 
laymen  took  to  numbers,  it  was  doubtless  time  to  consider 
if  the  arch-fiend  were  not  sometimes  to  be  detected  therein 
working  out  his  own  designs.  For  this  reason  Richard  Rolle 
hastened  to  explain  in  regard  to  the  songs  which  he  had  previ- 
ously declared  a  convert  might  sing  while  in  the  third  degree 
of  love,  'nogth  bodyly  cryand  with  f>e  mouth  —  of  f>at  maner 
of  syngyn  speke  I  nogth,  ffor  fat  sang  has  bath  gud  and  ille.'  4 

1  The  Poema  Morale  is  not  strictly  speaking  a  lyric,  but  rather  a  sermon  in 
lyrical  verse.  The  consensus  of  opinion  seems  to  be  that  the  oldest  MSS.  date 
from  the  late  twelfth  century.  See  Anna  C.  Paues,  A  Newly  Discovered  MS. 
of  the  Poema  Morale,  Anglia,  xxx,  217. 

2  Cotton.  MS.  Nero  A  xiv;   printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.,  34,  191. 

3  Richard  Rolle,  in  The  Form  of  Perfect  Living,  R.  R.,  I,  32. 

4  Form  of  Perfect  Living,  R.  R.,  I,  33. 

c 


18 

A  proper  precaution,  indeed,  but  in  view  of  Rolle's  own  habit, 
even  in  this  treatise,  not  so  very  convincing.  A  hundred  years 
before  this  the  holy  St.  Edmund  had  felt  some  compunction  on 
the  general  subject  of  prayers  in  verse,  and  had  made  bold  to 
say,  'ferefore  he  dof>  gret  schome  and  gret  vnreuerrence.to 
god  f>at  takef>  him  to  Rymede  wordes  &  queynte,  and  leue}>  fe 
wordes  and  J>e  preyere  fat  he  vs  tauhte.' 1  The  saint,  how- 
ever, did  not  actually  think  it  such  '  foul  lechery  to  delyten  in 
such  Rymynge'  as  one  might  conclude,  for  he  himself  made 
several  lyrics  in  'turned  langage  and  rymed,'  one  of  which  is 
represented  in  this  volume.2 

Thus  it  was  that  during  the  thirteenth  century  there  were 
written  many  religious  lyrics  —  how  many,  we  can  judge  by 
the  large  number  yet  preserved  in  spite  of  the  ravages  of 
the  Reformation,  and  by  the  constant  references  in  didactic 
treatises  to  these  poems  of  divine  love  and  devotion.  Though 
it  is  impossible  to  give  anything  like  an  adequate  history  of  the 
beginning  of  this  religious  poetry,  it  is  possible  to  study  the 
influences  that  were  at  work,  and  from  such  a  study  to  draw 
in  large  outline  a  description  of  the  conditions  out  of  which 
this  kind  of  religious  verse  in  England  developed. 

The  religious  lyric  in  England  before  1200  had  found  com- 
plete expression  in  Latin.  In  this  language  were  written  the 
hymns  that  were  used  in  the  Church  services  as  well  as  much 
poetry  of  private  devotion.  During  the  twelfth  and  thir- 
teenth centuries,  however,  a  tendency  that  had  been  present 
in  the  Church  from  its  very  foundation  came  to  be  a  promi- 
nent part  of  its  life.  Mysticism  took  a  commanding  place  in 
religious  thought  and  experience  in  England.  The  main 
doctrines  of  the  mystics  have  been  mentioned  already  and  need 
not  be  repeated.  This  system  of  belief  worked  out  in  two 
distinct  directions,  paradoxically  opposite.  The  first  tendency 
of  the  mystic  was  perhaps  toward  isolation;  he  naturally 
sought  to  remove  himself  from  the  world  and  to  find  in  seclu- 

1  The  Mirror  of  St.  Edmund,  R.R.,  I,  251.  *  No.  23. 


19 

sion  the  blessedness  of  a  union  with  God.  It  was  thus  that 
St.  Godric  and  Richard  Rolle  found  the  rewards  of  a  lonely 
contemplative  life  exceeding  precious. 

But  there  was  another  side  to  religious  life,  even  as  led  by 
mystics.  Since  it  had  been  recorded  of  the  founder  of  mys- 
ticism that  he  went  about  doing  good,  his  followers  of  the 
twelfth  century  remembered  well  his  example.  Even  Richard 
Rolle,  though  declaring  that  the  contemplative  life  is  higher 
than  the  active,  urges  his  friends  not  to  enter  it  hastily,  but 
rather  to  remain  in  the  humbler  station.  His  own  example 
in  rendering  the  Psalms  and  in  writing  for  the  laity  shows  his 
sincerity.  It  is  this  second,  practical  tendency  of  the  mystic 
movement  that  is  most  interesting  to  the  student  of  the  religious 
lyric.  The  result  of  the  development  of  mysticism  in  England 
was  an  awakening  of  the  Church,  and  a  widespread  revival  of 
religion  that  causes  the  period  to  be  called  to-day  by  writers  on 
the  history  of  the  Church,  'The  thirteenth,  greatest  of  cen- 
turies.' x  Under  the  impelling  love  of  God,  which  mysticism 
had  aroused,  there  were  written  tracts,  homilies,  legends,  and 
poems  whose  purpose  was  to  create  in  the  ignorant  laity  a 
deep  religious  life.2  So  it  came  about  that,  though  Latin  was 
retained  in  the  formal  Church  services  as  preserving  more 
perfectly  the  dignity  and  reverential  awe  suitable  to  public 
worship,  the  vernacular  came  into  use  for  the  more  practical 
purposes  of  the  active  life.  From  using  the  common  lan- 
guage for  the  purpose  of  religious  teaching,  it  was  but  a  step 
to  expressing  that  teaching  in  poetical  form,  always  more 
pleasing  to  the  popular  ear,  and  more  easily  remembered. 
It  is  not  strange,  then,  that  among  the  early  Middle  English 
religious  lyrics  are  found  versified  renderings  of  the  Pater 
Noster  and  Creed.  The  missionary  spirit,  the  practical  side 
of  mysticism,  was  the  leading  motive  in  the  development  of  the 
vernacular  religious  lyric.     This  phase  of  mysticism  accounts 

1  The  reference  is  to  Dr.  J.  J.  Walsh's  recent  book  of  the  same  name. 

1  Cf .  Horstman  in  the  Introduction  to  Richard  Rolle  of  Hampole,  I,  xii-xiii. 


20 

in  part  for  the  large  number  of  liturgical  lyrics  found  in  this 
volume.  Not  that  Latin  poems  were  no  longer  written,  — 
they  were  produced  in  abundance,  —  but  the  selfish  desire  to 
write  in  a  language  understood  only  by  the  clerks  was  no 
longer  supremely  attractive;  literary  art  was  sacrificed  to 
religious  devotion ;  and  the  ignorant  laity  were  taught  in 
simple,  homely  words  the  mysteries  of  the  faith. 

Another  influence  that  helped  to  develop  the  English  reli- 
gious lyric  was  the  vogue  of  the  chansons  in  France.  While  all 
England  was  being  stirred  by  this  deep  religious  awakening, 
there  came  the  knowledge  that  poets  across  the  Channel  were 
singing  songs  of  worldly  love  in  their  native  tongue.  The  Eng- 
lish had  always  had  a  peculiar  love  for  the  Holy  Virgin,  a 
love  that  mysticism  had  intensified  into  an  ardent  adoration. 
It  needed  only  a  hint  from  France  to  cause  this  enthusiasm  to 
burst  forth.  So  it  is  that  among  the  earliest  Middle  English 
lyrics  are  some  that  are  liturgical  and  some  that  sing  in  glowing 
terms  of  divine  love. 

The  principal  influences,  then,  that  brought  about  this 
development  of  English  religious  verse  were,  first,  the  mission- 
ary spirit  of  mysticism ;  and  secondly,  the  custom  in  France  of 
singing  songs  of  worldly  love  in  the  spoken  language.  Further- 
more, the  literary  influences  that  affected  these  lyrics  were 
likewise  of  two  kinds  —  Latin  and  French. 

Ill 

The  influence  of  Latin  upon  the  Middle  English  religious 
lyric  comes  from  two  main  sources,  the  liturgy  and  patristic 
writings.  Of  these  two  influences,  that  of  the  liturgy  is  far 
more  important;  the  influence  of  the  sermons  and  treatises 
of  the  Fathers  is  comparatively  slight.  The  actual  sources 
of  the  early  vernacular  religious  lyric  lie,  in  most  cases,  in  the 
words  of  the  services  of  the  Church  —  words  that  were  read, 
sung,  and  prayed,  not  daily  only,  but  often  several  times  daily. 


21 

It  will  not  be  amiss  to  consider  in  some  detail  the  various 
ways  in  which  the  religious  poet  turned  the  liturgy  to  the  uses  of 
lyric  verse. 

The  intimate  relation  between  the  liturgy  and  the  vernacular 
lyric  in  England  is  seen  most  obviously,  perhaps,  in  the  large 
number  of  metrical  translations.  As  already  stated,  the 
clerks,  in  their  anxiety  to  make  the  ways  of  salvation  clear  and 
open  to  the  ignorant,  and  at  the  same  time  attractive  and  easily 
remembered,  often  rendered  the  more  important  portions  of 
the  services  into  rhymed  verse. 

The  Public  Confession,  which  was  used  by  the  people  before 
the  Mass,  was  often  rendered  in  verse,  sometimes  with  faith- 
ful accuracy,  more  often  merely  paraphrased.  The  Extended 
Confessions,  which  seldom  were  used  in  the  formal  services, 
but  which  are  found  in  almost  all  the  Prymers,  were  frequently 
rhymed,  sometimes  doubtless  for  the  devotion  of  the  poet 
himself,  but  far  more  often  to  serve  as  the  private  confession 
to  God  of  the  unlettered  laity.  There  is  a  conventional  spirit 
about  these  poems  that  seldom  allows  them  to  become  sub- 
jective ;  even  in  Dunbar,  the  missionary  spirit  is  easily  read 
between  the  lines,  for  such  a  study  as  the  present  one  reveals 
clearly  that,  in  spite  of  the  statements  of  editors,  the  poet  is 
making  no  serious  personal  admissions. 

The  Lord's  Prayer  was  particularly  popular  with  metrical 
translators.  Paraphrases  also  of  this  prayer  were  often  made. 
Still  more  noticeable  is  the  widespread  habit  of  embedding 
the  Pater  Noster  entire  in  a  religious  lyric  where  we  should 
hardly  expect  it  to  occur.  Other  prayers  were  often  rendered 
in  verse.  When  the  translator  of  the  York  Hours  came  to  the 
long  Prayer  he  instinctively  turned  from  prose  to  poetry.  The 
liturgical  prayer,  In  Manus  Tuas,  was  constantly  put  into 
vernacular  verse  for  the  daily  use  of  the  devout. 

The  antiphons,  responses,  and  versicles  were  often  rendered 
into  poetry.  Thus,  the  poem,  Loverd,  Shyld  Me  vrom  Helle 
Deth,  No.  ii,  is  an  almost  literal  translation  of  the  response 


22 

and  versicles  following  the  ninth  lesson  in  the  Offices  of  the 
Dead.  To  f>e  gude  angell,  No.  46,  is  a  rendering  of  a  portion  of 
the  Office  of  the  Proper  Angel,  according  to  the  use  of  Sarum. 
The  many  poems  that  celebrate  the  joys  of  the  Virgin  go  back 
ultimately  to  certain  antiphons  in  the  Eorae.  Sometimes  the 
paraphrase  is  fairly  close,  but  often,  as  in  Nos.  63  and  68,  the 
resemblance  is  not  marked ;  of  the  ultimate  origin  of  this  class 
of  poems,  however,  there  can  be  no  doubt.1 

Portions  of  scripture,  especially  the  seven  penitential 
Psalms,  were  often  versified.  No.  21  is  an  interesting  transla- 
tion and  expansion  of  Psalm  53.  Very  often  some  incident 
related  in  the  Bible  forms  the  basis  for  a  poem.  Thus  No.  17, 
Ihesu,  Fill  Dei,  Miserere  Mei,  is  founded  upon  Christ's  visit 
into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  as  told  in  Matthew  15  :  21-22. 
No.  50,  Mane  Nobiscum,  Domine,  tells  of  the  walk  to  Emmaus, 
and  adapts  the  words  of  Caiphas,  Dwell  with  us,  Lord,  as  a 
prayer  suitable  for  all  Christians. 

Some  of  the  hymns  of  the  Church  were  rendered  into  Eng- 
lish, yet  not  so  many  as  one  might  suppose.  Friar  Herebert  is 
the  translator  of  the  only  hymns  found  in  this  volume  —  the 
Ave  Maris  Stella  and  Veni  Creator  Spiritus.  The  note  attached 
to  the  manuscript  poems  implies  that  they  were  frequently 
used  for  devotional  purposes :  i  Qui  usum  hujus  quaterni 
habuerit,  oret  pro  anima  dicti  fratris.'  But  after  all,  since 
hymns  were  not  indispensable  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
common  people,  it  need  cause  no  surprise  that  so  few  of  them 
were  put  into  vernacular  verse.2  A  late  paraphrase  of  the 
Ave  Maris  Stella  forms  one  of  the  most  beautiful  poems  among 
the  Middle  English  religious  lyrics,  but  it  is  not  a  typical  ren- 
dering, either  in  its  purpose,  which  is  far  from  missionary,  or 
in  its  emotion,  which  is  largely  subjective. 

Closely  related  to  the  paraphrases  are  a  number  of  poems 
that  take  their  subjects  from  lines  in  the  services.     Thus, 

1  Cf.  No.  63,  14,  note. 

2  There  are,  of  course,  some  translated  hymns  still  imprinted. 


23 

upon  a  single  prominent  liturgical  thought,  a  writer  will  often 
develop  a  unified  poem.  A  line  from  the  response  after  the 
eighth  lesson  in  the  Offices  of  the  Dead  furnished  the  theme 
for  many  Middle  English  lyrics  —  the  Timor  Mortis  poems. 
No.  34,  likewise,  employs  almost  all  the  original  response, 
incorporating  the  Latin  lines,  not  as  refrains,  but  as  integral 
parts  of  the  poem.  No.  28  makes  use  of  the  liturgical  line, 
Miserere  mei,  deus,  as  a  text  in  the  form  of  a  refrain. 

A  number  of  poems  take  the  litany  as  a  foundation.  No.  14 
is  little  else  than  an  invocation  after  the  manner  of  the  litany ; 
No.  13  forms  one  of  several  prayers  to  various  divine  person- 
ages ;  and  No.  4  closes  with  the  litany. 

Some  poems,  though  they  have  no  direct  source  in  the  ser- 
vices, are  evidently  modeled  after  liturgical  prayers  or  were 
made  for  use  during  worship.  A  preyer  at  fre  leuacioun,  No.  16, 
is  sufficiently  explained  by  its  title.  Such  prayers  seem  to  have 
been  widely  used  during  the  Mass.1  The  first  lines  of  No.  15, 
A  Short  Prayer  after  the  Levation  for  Mercy,  give  an  idea  of 
these  poems :  — 

Lord,  als  J?ou  can,  &  als  f>ou  wille, 
haue  mercy  of  me,  fat  has  don  ille ; 
for  what-so  J>ou  wij?  me  wil  do, 
I  holde  me  payde  to  stonde  per- to. 

This  poem  probably  had  no  direct  original  in  any  order  of  the 
Mass,  yet  were  it  not  found  in  the  Lay  Folks'  Mass  Book  there 
were  no  proof  needed  to  show  its  liturgical  origin.  The  pray- 
ers to  Mary,  No.  19,  and  to  St.  Elene,  No.  20,  likewise  suggest 
liturgical  nature  and  use. 

The  influence  of  the  liturgy  upon  these  poems  is  felt  in  more 
ways,  however,  than  in  mere  translations  and  paraphrases; 
the  most  important  contribution  of  the  services  was  in  the 
countless  words,  phrases,  and  ideas  that  they  gave  to  the  poets, 
and  from  which  these  writers,  in  many  cases,  derived  the  very 
1  See  No.  15,  note. 


24 


subject-matter  and  expression  of  their  songs.  'Lord,  make 
me  safe,'  prays  the  poet  again  and  again,  as  he  recalls  the  words 
of  the  Psalmist  that  formed  a  part  of  the  sublime  response, 
Peccantem  me  quotidie  .  .  .  Deus  .  .  .  salvum  me  fac.  Not 
this  response  alone,  but  the  entire  Office  of  the  Dead,  partly  in 
the  various  prayers  and  versicles,  partly  in  the  lessons  from 
the  Book  of  Job,  has  contributed  largely  to  the  penitential 
lyrics.  'Lord,  despise  nought  J?e  wark  of  fin  handes,'  be- 
seeches the  poet,  translating  the  response :  Opera  manuum 
tuarum,  Domine,  ne  despicas.  Or  again  he  pleads,  "Damn  not 
that  fou  dere  has  bought,"  which  inevitably  suggests  the  promi- 
nent versicle :  Nunc,  Christe,  te  petimus  miserere,  qucesumus ; 
qui  venisti  redimere  perditos,  noli  damnare  redemptos.  The 
Hymn  to  the  Virgin,  No.  30,  is  a  mosaic  of  phrases  and  ideas 
borrowed  from  the  hymns,  prayers,  responses,  versicles, 
lessons,  and  scripture  found  in  the  Horae. 

Not  only  did  the  liturgy  furnish  most  of  the  prominent  and 
striking  thoughts  found  in  these  poems,  but  it  furnished  in 
abundance  the  most  commonplace  expressions.  The  concep- 
tion, for  instance,  that  Christ  bought  the  world  with  his  blood, 
shed  upon  the  cross,  is  only  one  of  many  ideas  that  formed  the 
body  of  the  liturgy.  From  thence,  where  they  were  repeated 
daily  and  even  hourly,  these  ideas  were  transferred  to  the  lyrics, 
often  with  identity  of  language,  and  constantly  used. 

Aside  from  these  passages,  which  show  much  minute  borrow- 
ing in  thought  and  phrase  from  the  services  of  the  Church,  the 
medieval  poets  seem  to  have  taken  from  the  liturgy  certain 
peculiar  ways  of  looking  at  life.  The  custom  of  thinking  of  sin 
as  a  disease,  of  the  sinner  as  a  sufferer,  and  of  Christ  as  the 
physician,  found  expression  in  the  Gospels,  and  was  often 
used  in  the  liturgy,  especially  in  the  Mass,  whence  it  was 
probably  taken  in  most  instances  by  the  poet,  rather  than  from 
any  patristic  source.  The  realistic  manner  in  which  death  is 
always  considered  doubtless  owes  more  to  the  lessons  in  the 
Offices  of  the  Dead  than  to  any  other  influence. 


25 

It  has  been  assumed  by  many  scholars  that  the  Middle 
English  religious  lyric  owes  much  to  the  Latin  hymns  and  to 
sacred  Latin  poetry.  In  the  matter  of  metrical  form  such  may 
be  the  case,  but  in  content  the  English  lyrics  in  this  volume 
owe  nothing  to  the  sacred  Latin  lyric,  and  but  little  to  the 
Latin  hymns.  No.  30,  as  mentioned  above,  was  indebted 
partly  to  Church  hymns,  as  well  as  to  liturgical  prayers,  re- 
sponses, and  lessons ;  there  are  also  two  translations  of  Latin 
hymns  in  this  collection.  Only  thus  far  are  the  lyrics  here 
printed  related  to  the  hymns  of  the  Church ;  and  it  should  be 
pointed  out  that  in  No.  30  the  parallels  came  directly  from  the 
services,  for  the  poet  knew  his  Horae  most  thoroughly,  as 
passages  taken  from  other  parts  of  it  show ;  and  that  of  the 
two  translated  hymns,  both  were  necessary  parts  of  almost 
every  service.  What  influence  the  Latin  hymns  had  upon  the 
content  of  these  lyrics  came  invariably  through  the  liturgy ; 
so  far  as  I  can  determine  after  a  careful  reading  of  the  fifty-one 
volumes  of  the  Analecta  hymnica 1  and  other  collections  of 
sacred  Latin  poetry,  Latin  hymns  and  devotional  Latin  poetry 
had  no  appreciable  influence  upon  the  development  of  the 
Middle  English  religious  lyric. 

It  was  the  liturgy  that  generally  suggested  the  sub- 
ject-matter of  these  poems.  From  it  the  writers  took 
their  words,  their  phrases,  their  sentences,  their  ideas  — 
the  very  content  of  their  poems.  It  is  not  strange;  for, 
if  out  of  the  fullness  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh, 
surely  the  thirteenth  century  monks  and  clerks  were  amply 
justified  in  using  the  liturgy  as  their  foundation;  indeed, 
they  could  not  have  done  otherwise.  The  full  indebtedness 
of  these  poems  to  the  services  cannot  be  realized  until  a 
careful  comparison  between  them  and  the  liturgy  has  been 
made,  phrase  with  phrase  and  thought  with  thought.  It  is 
only  by  detailed  study  that  such  influence  can  be  shown ;  its 

1  Dreves,  Analecta  hymnica  medii  aevi,  Leipzig,  1886-1910,  Vols.  1-51, 
in  progress. 


26 

full  extent  is  best  seen  in  the  many  parallel  passages  cited  in 
the  notes. 

It  has  already  been  implied  that  the  Middle  English  religious 
lyric  is  peculiarly  free  from  all  theological  doctrines.  The 
abstract  and  scholarly  reasoning  of  Lanfranc  and  Anselm  was 
far  removed  from  the  simple  faith  and  humble  devotion  of  the 
religious  poets.  Likewise,  the  intricate  and  over-subtle  logic 
of  medieval  philosophers  found  no  echo  either  in  the  lives  or 
writings  of  these  devoted  clerks.  Mysticism,  as  it  developed 
under  St.  Bernard,  was  a  protest  and  a  reaction  against  scho- 
lasticism ;  and  these  poems,  which,  as  before  stated,  constitute 
one  of  the  direct  results  of  the  mystic  movement,  are  at  all 
times  conspicuously  free  from  abstract  theology.  Even  the 
more  learned  of  the  mystic  writers  seem  to  have  had  little 
influence ;  Lanfranc,  Anselm,  and  Hugo  of  St.  Victor  undoubt- 
edly affected  a  few  of  the  earlier  pieces  in  prose  and  verse,1 
but  their  influence  is  not  felt  upon  the  lyrics  here  printed. 
The  penitential  lyric  was  extremely  simple  in  every  aspect ;  its 
purpose  was  practical,  and  its  methods  direct.  Even  in  the 
songs  to  Mary,  where  the  missionary  spirit  is  not  so  obvious, 
the  writers  show  little  sympathy  with  intricate  and  subtle 
logic ;  mysticism  was  in  the  air,  and  mysticism,  in  its  purpose 
at  least,  was  plain,  direct,  fervent,  —  a  matter  of  the  heart, 
not  of  the  intellect.  The  interesting  question,  Cur  Deus  Jwmo, 
found  little  response  in  the  imaginations  of  unlearned  men,  who 
accepted  without  hesitation  the  fundamental  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity; for  them  the  simple  doctrines  of  the  liturgy  were 
enough,  for  in  these,  indeed,  they  found  the  words  of  life. 

But  the  Fathers  were  not  always  intricate  and  subtle  in  their 
writings.  St.  Anselm  was  truly  regarded  as  an  earnest  and 
devout  man.  His  prayers  and  meditations  were  filled  with 
the  noble  sincerity  of  his  life.  Yet  even  his  simple  devotions 
do  not  seem  to  find  a  single  echo  in  these  lyrics ;   though  well 

1  Cf.  W.  Vollhardt,  Einjlass  der  Lateinischen  Gcistlichen  Litteratur  auf  Einige 
Kleiner e  Schopfungen  der  Englischen  Uber gangs per iode,  Leipzig,  1888. 


27 

known  to  priests  in  higher  orders,  they  were  evidently  not  so 
widely  disseminated  among  the  clerks  and  humbler  servants 
of  the  Church.  Although  the  higher  clergy,  less  closely  in 
touch  with  the  common  people,  allowed  themselves  to  refer 
to  learned  doctrines  with  which  they  were  constantly  familiar, 
and  which  their  sophisticated  readers  would  readily  under- 
stand, they  did  not  incorporate  them  in  English  poetry,  for 
they  composed  in  nothing  less  dignified  than  Latin  or  French. 
Robert  Grosseteste  wrote  the  allegorical  Castle  of  Love  in 
French  verse,  and  even  St.  Edmund  composed  several  poems 
in  this  language,  though  none  in  English.  Most  of  the 
vernacular  religious  lyrics  were  written  by  friars  and  monks, 
who  naturally  used  not  only  the  material  best  suited  to  their 
practical  needs  and  devotional  purposes,  but  also  that  with 
which  they  were  most  familiar.  It  was  left  to  them  to  express 
in  plain  yet  attractive  language  the  great  truths  of  the  Church. 
Of  the  two  or  three  writers  who  affected  in  any  way  the 
content  of  the  penitential  lyric,  St.  Edmund,  who  has  been 
mentioned  already,  had  by  far  the  most  considerable  influence. 
His  earnest  and  unquestioned  piety  had  been  richly  expressed 
in  his  Speculum  Ecclesice.  Edmund  died  in  1240,  and  was 
canonized  in  1246.1  The  Mirror  became  immediately  popular, 
and  was  translated  into  French  and  English  many  times  during 
the  two  succeeding  centuries.  There  was  hardly  a  monastery 
without  a  copy ;  it  was  one  of  those  books  that  precede  public 
thought.  England  was  at  that  time  approaching  the  full 
development  of  mysticism.  St.  Edmund's  Mirror  was  just  in 
advance  of  the  age ;  it  was  filled  with  a  mystic  fire  and  devo- 
tion that  appealed  to  Richard  Rolle  and  his  followers,  for  in  it 
they  found  many  of  their  ideas.  With  the  spread  of  mysticism 
the  Speculum  became  almost  a  handbook  of  religious  devotion, 
and  as  such  it  was  often  rendered  into  simple  English  prose  for 
the  use  of  the  unlearned. 

1  There  is  no  adequate  modern  life  of  St.  Edmund.     A  good  bibliographical 
account  of  the  material  extant  is  given  in  the  Dictionary  of  National  Biography. 


28 

i 

There  is  no  single  writer  who  exercised  such  widespread 
influence  upon  the  religious  lyrics  of  England  as  did  St.  Ed- 
mund. No.  26,  Do  mercy  to  fore  thi  Jugement,  probably  is 
indebted  to  the  Mirror  for  one  entire  stanza  and  for  various 
other  passages.  No.  48  is  a  rendering  of  prayers  found  in 
the  Speculum,  and  a  development  of  devotions  suggested  by 
the  saint.  Other  poems  show  in  slighter  ways  how  greatly  the 
Mirror  had  affected  the  religious  thought  and  emotions  of  the 
English  people.  St.  Edmund  also  wrote  a  poem  in  French 
verse  that  was  admirably  translated  in  An  orisoun  to  or  lord 
Ihesu,  No.  23. 

One  of  St.  Edmund's  disciples  was  Richard  Rolle.  Two  or 
three  poems  in  this  collection  are  almost  certainly  the  work  of 
Rolle ;  in  other  lyrics  there  are  a  spirit  and  atmosphere  that  are 
peculiar  to  the  later  mystics.  Undoubtedly  Rolle  and  his 
followers  influenced  these  poems  more  than  can  now  be  deter- 
mined. 

Philosophers  did  not  always  write  beyond  the  comprehension 
of  common  men ;  at  times,  like  St.  Anselm,  they  became  ex- 
ceedingly simple  in  their  devotions.  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas 
was  a  man  who  added  to  a  reputation  for  remarkable  acuteness 
in  reasoning  and  in  making  subtle  deductions,  a  devout  and 
humble  mind.  He  composed  several  prayers  in  Latin,  one  of 
which,  because  of  its  expression  of  a  complete  and  earnest  con- 
secration, became  immediately  well  known  throughout  the 
Church.  It  was  translated  and  retranslated  as  a  practical 
example  of  a  fervent  prayer.  In  its  short  lines  and  repeated 
grammatical  constructions  it  easily  lent  itself  to  verse.  No. 
49,  an  Orisoun  to  god,  is  a  literal  translation  of  this  prayer  in 
rhymed  couplets. 

The  influence  of  other  mystic  writers  is  seen  in  these  poems 
only  indirectly.  Thoughts  that  ultimately  originated  with 
St.  Bernard  are  found  in  the  last  poem  in  the  volume,  but  it  is 
altogether  unlikely  that  the  author  of  this  lyric  had  ever  read 
the  saint's  mystic  sermons.     Some  of  St.  Bernard's  ideas  be- 


29 

came  immediately  popular  in  France,  and  were  reiterated  by 
French  religious  poets,  from  whom,  in  all  probability,  the  few 
and  slight  parallels  were  drawn. 

The  effect  of  the  English  sermons  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
widespread.  The  Poema  Morale,  a  sermon  couched  in  lyric 
verse,  had  decided  influence  upon  one  lyric,  No.  7,  A  Prayer 
to  our  Lady.  Other  poems  show  traces  of  the  sermons,  but  in 
no  case  do  they  exhibit  any  evident  connection  with  homilies  at 
present  published.  The  influence  of  sermons  upon  such  lyrics 
as  No.  6,  /  wite  my  self  myne  owne  woo,  is  certainly  greater  than 
at  present  can  be  proved. 

Such  in  general  was  the  effect  of  patristic  writings  upon  the 
Middle  English  lyric.  The  works  by  which  the  Fathers  earned 
their  scholarly  reputations,  and  by  which  they  influenced  and 
even  regulated  the  lines  of  theological  thought,  were  unknown 
to  the  writers  of  simple,  vernacular  verse ;  it  was  not  until  a 
work  had  proved  of  practical  help,  and  had  been  often  trans- 
lated, that  it  found  its  way  into  the  English  lyrics. 

IV 

The  French  influence  found  in  these  poems  is  derived  mainly 
from  the  lyric  poetry  of  Northern  France.  The  type  which 
seems  to  have  affected  most  directly  the  English  religious  lyric 
is  that  simple  love-song,  the  chanson  oV  amour,  which  flourished 
in  the  thirteenth  century  and  before.  This  love-lyric  consists 
rarely  of  more  than  five  stanzas,1  and  often  of  less,  with  the 
rhymes  occurring  regularly,  but  with  the  stanzas  not  neces- 
sarily of  the  same  length,  a  short  verse  being  often  used  after 
one,  two,  or  more  long  lines. 

In  content  the  chanson  oVamour  is  well  defined.  For  an 
introduction  it  seems  to  have  employed  almost  invariably  one 

1  Cf.  P.  Paris  in  Hist.  Litt.,  XX,  613  :  La  chanson  est  un  poeme  ordinairement 
compose  de  cinq  couplets  uniformes,  destines  a  etre  chantes  sin*  une  modulation 
adaptee  a  Pexpression  et  a  la  mesure  du  premier  de  ces  couplets. 


30 

of  two  conventions.  Most  frequently  the  poet,  starting  with  a 
nature  setting,  tells  how  the  fresh  woods  and  flowers  turn  his 
thought  to  a  lady  'feir  and  fre,'  or  the  autumn  leaves  in 
fading  remind  him  of  his  grief  —  a  grief,  however,  tres  douce.1 
Sometimes  he  omits  all  formal  setting,  and  breaks  out  at  once 
into  praise  for  his  lady  in  honor  of  whom  he  is  unable  to  refrain 
from  song. 

Canteir  m'estuet  por  la  plux  belle, 

ke  soit  ou  monde  vivant, 
car  s'amor  m'est  tous  dis  novelle, 

si  en  ai  le  cuor  plux  ioiant.2 

The  emotion  of  the  poem,  which  is  developed  in  a  fairly  con- 
ventional fashion,  is  uniformly  that  of  a  longing  love.  The  first 
duty  of  the  poet  is  to  celebrate  the  charms  of  the  beloved  one. 
So  he  sings  of  her  beauty  and  tells  how 

cors  ait  bien  fait  et  avenant, 

euls  vairs  rians, 
bouchete  tainte  en  grainne.3 

She  is  dame  sens  peir,  en  la  millor  del  roiame  de  France?  a 
countess,  a  queen.  Her  beauty  inspires  his  love  and  devotion 
at  the  same  time  that  her  dignified  aloofness  causes  his  grief. 
Indeed,  his  sorrow,  usually  barely  mentioned  in  the  beginning 
of  the  poem,  in  the  end  occupies  nearly  all  his  thought,  as  he 
closes  with  an  appeal  for  mercy :  — 

n'en  ait  mercit  ne  pities  ne  Ten  prent, 
morir  m'estuet  amerous  en  chantant.5 

Because  of  the  intimate  relation  which  exists  between  this 
type  of  French  secular  lyric  and  several  of  the  poems  in  this 
volume,  it  will  be  useful  for  the  purposes  of  a  closer  comparison 

»  Bern  MS.  389,  No.  CCLIII,  Archiv.,  42.  2  Ibid.  No.  LXXXVII. 

>  Bern  MS.  389,  No.  XCI.        4  Ibid.  No.  CCLXXIV.        6  Ibid.  No.  CCL. 


31 

to  give  a  characteristic  specimen  of  this  very  popular  kind  of 
love  poetry.     One  Gatier  de  Bregi  sang  thus  of  his  love :  — 

Cant  voi  la  flour  et  l'erbe  vert  pailie, 
moi  stuet  chanteir  por  ma  dolor  covrir ; 
car  autrement  ne  puis  avoir  aie 
de  celle  riens  cui  i'ain  tant  et  desire ; 
s'en  crien  morir,  tant  redout  lou  faillir, 
et  losengiers,  cui  ie  tant  doi  hair, 
quierent  ma  mort  ne  s'en  pueent  tenir. 

En  loiaulteit  ai  ma  dame  servie 
come  la  riens  cui  tant  ain  et  desir, 
ne  d'autre  amor  ne  quier  avoir  amie. 
Portant  serai  dou  tout  a  son  plaisir. 
De  mal  sosfrir  ne  me  doit  sovenir, 
car  li  grans  biens  ou  ie  cuis  avenir 
me  fait  mon  cuer  en  ioie  maintenir. 

Jai  fine  amour  ne  me  poroit  retraire 

k'envers  ma  dame  aie  nul  ior  fauceit, 

ains  l'amerai,  car  elle  est  debonaire. 

En  li  ai  mis  cuer  et  cors  et  penseir. 

Moult  m'ont  mi  eul  riche  tressor  moustreit,  — 

son  tres  gent  cors  sa  bouche  et  sa  biaulteit, 

ke  moult  m'ait  mort  en  mon  bien  destineit. 

Ses  simples  vis  rians  et  debonaires 

et  ses  gens  cors  ou  il  ait  tant  biaulteit 

m'ont  si  sospris  ke  ne  m'en  puis  retraire, 

n'en  tout  le  (le)  mont  ne  m'en  vient  plux  engreit. 

Tuit  autre  amant  sont  plux  de  moy  greuei, 

quant  a  ma  dame  cui  ieu  ain  vient  en  greit. 

Douce  dame,  prous  et  cortose  et  saige, 
aies  pitie  de  vostre  amin  chier ! 
Per  maintes  fois  vos  ai  dit  mon  couraige. 
Saichies  de  voir,  loiaulment  sens  trichier, 
vos  amerai,  c'autre  desduit  ne  quier. 
Se  biauls  servirs  peust  nul  home  aidier 
bien  me  delist  ma  dolour  aligier. 


32 

Several  of  the  Middle  English  religious  lyrics  have  very 
obvious  relations  with  the  large  class  of  French  poems  of  which 
the  above  song  is  a  fair  specimen. 

In  general  form  many  of  the  English  poems  are  modeled 
directly  after  the  French.  No.  31,  An  Orisoun  to  our  Lady, 
has  in  its  meter  and  rhyme  scheme  been  influenced  by  French 
lyrics.  It  has  the  typical  five  stanzas,  and,  like  most  of  the 
French  love  songs  of  the  class  mentioned,  has  no  refrain. 
No.  33  in  form  as  well  as  in  content  suggests  the  chanson. 
The  insertion  of  short  lines  and  the  arrangement  of  rhymes 
remind  one  of  the  French  songs.  No.  27  likewise  takes  the 
form  of  the  French  lyric.  Finally  No.  29  gives  indications  of  a 
foreign  connection  in  its  length  and  in  the  tendency  that  it 
shows  toward  identical  rhymes  in  its  scheme,  aaaa  abab,  and 
in  the  actual  development  of  such  rhymes  in  the  third  and 
fourth  stanzas. 

In  this  connection  should  be  mentioned  certain  stylistic 
tricks  that  seem  to  have  been  imitated  directly  from  the 
chansons.  A  favorite  method  of  development  with  the  chan- 
sonniers,  and  from  them  adopted  by  the  English  poets,  was  that 
of  linking  stanzas  by  converting  the  last  verse  of  one  stanza 
into  the  first  of  the  next,  sometimes  transferring  the  line  entire, 
sometimes  taking  only  a  prominent  word  or  two,  but  retaining 
the  thought.  Many  examples  of  its  use  can  be  found  in  these 
poems.  In  some  cases,  as  in  the  poem  whose  first  two  stanzas 
are  linked  thus, 

leuedi,  her  mi  bon. 

Mi  bon  ]>u  her,  leuedi  der,1 

it  has  been  employed  consistently  and  with  good  erlect. 

The  abundant  use  of  interjections,  which  is  characteristic 
of  the  French  songs,  is  also  apparent  in  these  poems.  Expres- 
sions such  as  Alas!  welawei!  par  dee!  and  many  others,  espe- 
cially when  used  in   songs  that   have  other   strong  signs  of 

1  No.  29. 


33 

French  influence,  suggest  that  medieval  poets  were  often  quite 
as  much  influenced  by  pernicious  tricks  of  style  as  inspired  by 
sheer  poetic  beauty.  The  French  poet  knew  other  ways  of 
getting  out  of  the  difficulty  presented  by  an  empty  half  line, 
as  is  seen  in  the  chansons,  where  conventional  phrases,  such  as 
jor  et  nuit,  become  a  welcome  substitute  for  vacuity.  When  the 
first  Middle  English  poets  learned  from  their  French  neighbors 
the  form  and  beauty  of  songs  of  love,  they  did  not  forget  to 
learn  also  the  secrets  of  the  profession  of  love-singing.  Min 
hope  is  in  ]>e,  da)  &  nicht,  declares  the  English  poet  following 
closely  the  example  found  in  France. 

'  In  content,  however,  the  resemblance  of  the  English  religious 
lyric  to  its  French  models  is  even  more  marked  than  in  matters 
of  mere  external  form.  The  setting  employed  in  several  of  the 
English  poems  has  been  taken  directly  from  a  French  source, 
or  has  at  least  been  influenced  greatly  by  French  songs. 
Thus  Gatier  de  Bregi  and  a  hundred  others  begin  their  lyrics 

with 

Cant  voi  la  flour  et  l'erbe  vert  pailie, 

or  similar  nature  settings,  so  the  English  poet  sings, 

Nou^skrinke))  rose  &  lylie  flour, 
pat  whilen  ber  J>at  swete  savour, 
in  somer,  j>at  suete  tyde  ; ! 

and  another  French  poet  begins, 

De  iolit  cuer  enamoreit 
chansonete  comencerai,2 

so  the  unknown  English  poet  declares  : 

Of  f>e,  swete  levedy,  my  song  y  wile  byginne.3 

But  the  influence  of  the  French  song  writers  extends  far 
beyond  mere  settings,  for  in  many  cases  it  permeates  the  entire 

1  No.  33.  2  Bern  MS.  389,  CXXXIV,  Archiv,  42-278. 

3  No.  65.    MS.  Harl.  2253. 


34 


emotion  of  the  poem.  The  attitude  of  the  English  poet  as  he 
sings  his  love  for  Mary,  who  he  remembers  is  now  a  'peirles 
maide,'  is  not  vastly  different  from  that  of  the  French  writer 
who  saw  and  celebrated  charms  more  real  to  a  worldly  lover. 
Thus  the  English  poet,  unconsciously  hoping  to  find  in  divine 
love  a  recompense  for  the  deprivation  which  his  religious  devo- 
tion had  cost  him,  easily  substituted  the  Virgin  for  the  l douce 
dame '  of  the  secular  French  writer  and  as  duly  celebrated  her 
excellencies. 

No.  30  shows  how  intimately  this  spirit  of  the  French  secular 
songs  had  entered  the  English  religious  lyric.  The  poet's 
admiration  for  Mary's  physical  beauty  is  unbounded;  he 
assures  her  that  she  is  'ful  of  J^ewes  hende,'  and  in  her  graceful 
and  courtly  bearing  she  is  a  '  maide  drei^  &  wel  itaucht ; '  in 
every  charm,  indeed,  she  is  all-surpassing,  for  there  is  '  non  swo 
swete  of  alle  ping '  nor 

nis  non  maide  of  fine  heowe, 

swo  fair,  so  sschene,  so  rudi,  swo  bricht. 

Like  the  poet  of  worldly  love,  the  English  singer  forgets  not 
that  his  loved  one  has  high  rank,  even  royal,  and  he  fittingly 
celebrates  this  distinguishing  excellence :  — 

J?u  ert  icumen  of  he^e  kunne, 
of  dauid  f>e  riche  king, 
nis  non  maiden  under  sunne 
j?e  mei  beo  fin  euening. 

Such  high  lineage,  accompanied  with  all  peerless  charms, 
physical  and  moral,  demands  complete  and  constant  devotion ; 
so,  like  Gatier  and  all  true  lovers,  while  praying  his  lady  for 
mercy,  he  vows  that  he  is  her  faithful  knight,  ever  at  her 
service :  — 

Ic  crie  j?e  merci :  ic  am  pi  mon, 

bofe  to  honde  &  to  fote 

On  alle  wise  pat  ic  kon. 


35 


The  English  poet,  then,  in  uttering  his  cries  for  mercy  has  not 
prostrated  himself  before  Mary  of  the  liturgy,  'moost  pitieous 
of  alle  pitieous  wymmen ' ;  nor  is  he  altogether  orthodox,  one  is 
forced  to  believe,  for  in  his  prayer  he  utters  no  irresistible  plea 
for  effective  intermediation;  he  seems  to  have  overlooked 
Mary's  peculiar  office.  It  is  a  return  of  affection  for  which  he 
longs,  while  in  his  heart  lie  the  pleading  words  of  another 
nameless  poet,  'Yif  me  pi  love,  ic  am  redi.'  So  the  attitude 
of  the  lady  of  the  French  songs,  always  marked  by  dignity, 
aloofness,  and  a  certain  hauteur,  is  assumed  by  the  English 
poet  to  be  characteristic  of  Mary ;  and  the  constant  appeal  of 
the  French  lover, 

Douce  dame,  prous  et  cortose  et  saige, 
aies  pitie  de  vostre  amin  cher, 

finds  its  counterpart  in  the  prayer  of  the  English  religious  poet, 

Swete  leudi,  of  me  j>u  reowe 
&  haue  merci  of  pin  knicht. 

Likewise  the  poet  of  No.  64  evidently  knew  the  spirit  and 
conventions  of  the  French  song- writers.  Aside  from  the  short- 
ness of  the  poem  and  other  characteristics  of  form  that  point 
to  a  French  influence,  its  emotional  nature  suggests  that  the 
ideas  and  experiences  of  worldly  love  as  expressed  in  the 
chansons  of  France;  were  known  in  England. 

Moder  milde,  flur  of  alle, 
}>u  ert  leuedi  swupe  treowe ; 
bricht  in  bure  &  eke  in  halle, 
J)i  loue  is  euer  iliche  neowe. 

The  poet  remembers  the  surpassing  distinction  of  his  lady,  for 
she  is  a 

Riche  quene  and  maiden  bricht ; 

and  he  does  not  forget  to  plead  for  himself  in  the  simple  words, 
swete  leuedi,  of  me  Jm  reowe. 


36 

But  the  similarity  of  emotion  between  this  poem  and  the 
chansons  is  not  so  close  as  in  No.  30,  for  the  poet  apparently 
does  not  forget  that  it  is  Mary's  protection  in  this  world  and 
her  aid  in  the  next  that  he  most  anxiously  desires. 

As  pointed  out  previously,  No.  31  had  been  influenced  in  its 
external  form  by  the  chanson  d' amour;  but  in  content,  the 
poem  does  not  afford  many  lines  that  prove  a  close  relation- 
ship with  French  lyrics.  The  attitude  of  the  poet  toward 
Mary,  although  it  is  in  many  respects  as  orthodox  as  that  of 
the  liturgy,  is  not  entirely  so,  for  the  spirit  that  pervades  the 
poem  as  a  whole  is  often  suggestive  of  an  earthly  love.  Like 
the  French  lover,  the  poet  mentions  in  his  first  lines  the  sub- 
ject of  his  song, 

On  hire  is  al  mi  lif  ilong, 
Of  hwam  ich  wule  singe ; 

and,  though  he  has  profited  apparently  by  the  sermon  in  the 
Poema  Morale,1  for  he  has  a  wholesome  fear  of  sin  and  a  con- 
sciousness of  his  own  waywardness,  he  does  not  forget  that 
Mary  is  the  one  'fat  is  so  freo,'  and  to  her  he  cries,  'Leuedi, 
merci ! ' 

Other  songs  in  this  volume  show  in  a  less  uniform  way  traces 
of  the  influence  of  the  general  class  of  French  lyrics  that  is 
richly  represented  in  the  Bern  and  Douce  MSS.  Thus,  Mary's 
charms  are  frequently  insisted  upon ;  like  the  earthly  fair  one, 
she  has  un  vis  cleir;  she  is  the  'feirest  flour  of  eni  felde,'  and 
'  a  rose  in  eerbir  so  red ' ;  her  eyes  are  gray,  and  her  body  full 
of  grace  and  courtly  freedom. 

Ladi  louelich,  feir  and  fre, 

pou  lilye  whyt  of  face, 
Godus  Moder  briht  of  ble, 

We  tristen  to  f>i  grace. 

1  No.  31  has  one  line  that  is  exactly  paralleled  in  the  Poema  Morale;  and  there 
are  other  evidences  of  such  influence.     Cf.  the  note  on  p.  17. 


37 

Since  a  lady  possessing  such  charms  must  needs  have  a  host  of 
admiring  friends,  the  French  poet  does  not  hesitate  to  mention 
this  popularity.  The  same  theme  is  even  more  aptly  cele- 
brated in  regard  to  Mary.  Many  are  the  poets  that  rejoice 
in  the  honor  that  'our  lady'  commands  in  the  earth,  for 
verily,  'J?i  worschipe  walkej?  wyde.' 

Such  beauty,  honor,  and  high  birth  demand  vows  of 
complete  devotion  and  constant  service.  As  the  French  lover 
offers  himself  to  his  lady  and  becomes  her  knight,1  so  the 
English  religious  poet,  as  instanced  above,  binds  himself  to 
the  service  of  the  Virgin  and  declares  :  — 

Serwte  and  serwise  we  owe,  parde, 
To  thi  hi^nesse  of  very  due, 

As  royall  most  by  pedigre, 

None  lyke  of  grace  ne  of  vertu, 
Lovely  lady,  pi  servauntis  trew.2 

Before  the  chanson  d' 'amour  became  in  France  the  rul- 
ing form  for  the  expression  of  subjective  emotion,  a  peculiar 
kind  of  lyric  poetry  had  flourished  there,  the  chanson  a  per- 
sonnages.  These  chansons  are  always  narrative  in  form,  with 
strangely  combined  lyric  and  dramatic  tendencies.  In  the 
simplest  and  most  typical  form  of  this  poem  the  writer  tells 
as  an  introduction  how  the  other  day,  Vautrier,  wandering 
through  a  forest,  by  chance  he  overheard  a  woman  complaining 
of  her  jealous  husband ;  he  then  proceeds  to  give  the  words  of 
the  unfortunate  wife.  In  later  poems  the  laments  are  some- 
times assigned  to  a  maiden  who  complains  of  unrequited  love ; 
after  this  the  next  logical  step  is  to  report  in  other  poems  the 

1  There  is  an  interesting  manuscript  described  in  the  Cat.  de  Manuscrits  du 
Fond  Franqais,  p.  316,  which  contains  a  collection  of  the  Miracles  of  the  Virgin. 
One  of  the  rubrics  tells  'D'un  chevalier  qui  ne  vouloit  avoir  aultre  femme  fors 
que  la  virge  Marie.' 

2  No.  69.  Such  examples  have  sometimes  been  referred  to  by  English  critics 
as  showing  the  influence  of  chivalry,  and  so  they  do,  but  undoubtly  it  is  the 
influence  of  chivalry  upon  French  poetry. 


38 


griefs  of  a  lover.1 '  The  essential  characteristic,  then,  of  this 
class  of  poetry  is  that  the  poem  is  almost  entirely  a  complaint, 
usually  of  a  woman,  with  an  introduction  in  which  the  narrator 
explains  how  he  happened  to  hear  about  the  sorrows  which  he 
reports. 

There  is  little  variation  in  the  introductions  which  these 
poets  allow  themselves.     The  following  is  typical :  — 

L'autrier  lone  un  bosc  fulhos 

Trobiey  en  ma  via 
Un  pastre  mout  angoyssos, 

Chanteir,  e  dizia 

Sa  chanson :  .  .  . 2 

The  chanson  a  personnages  seems  to  have  died  out  in  France 
a  century  before  its  influence  was  felt  greatly  in  England,  for 
it  was  not  until  well  into  the  fifteenth  century  that  poems 
imitated  from  this  type  became  popular,  when  the  religious 
poets  were  evidently  among  the  first  to  make  extensive  use  of 
it.  Often  they  put  the  words  into  the  mouth  of  the  Virgin, 
lamenting  the  death  of  Christ. 

A  rather  late  poem,  No.  5,  shows  how  the  chanson  d  per- 
sonnages was  easily  adapted  to  religious  uses. 

As  I  wandrede  her  bi  weste, 

Haste  vnder  a  forest  syde, 
I  sei?  a  wiht  went  him  to  reste, 

Vnder  a  bou>h  he  gon  a-byde ; 

pus  to  crist  ful  >eor[n]e  he  cri^ede, 
And  bope  his  hondes  he  held  on  hei> : 

Then  follows  the  complaint  of  a  penitent,  who  rehearses  his 
sins  in  detail. 

1  For  other  types  of  the  chanson  d  personnages,  see  G.  Paris,  Les  Origines,  etc. 
681  ff. 

2  Raynouard,  II,  230.  The  poem  quoted  from  is,  of  course,  the  song  of  a 
troubadour. 


39 

As  mentioned  above,  the  chanson  a  personnages  assumed  va- 
rious forms.  In  one  of  these  it  is  the  lover  himself  that  com- 
plains of  unrequited  love.  The  introduction  in  this  class  of 
poems,  though  of  necessity  somewhat  changed  from  that  of  the 
earlier  complaint  form,  was  an  adaptation  of  the  Uautrier 
formula. 

Two  of  the  poems  of  Harleian  MS.  2253  help  to  prove  the 
assertion  that  the  'chanson  a  personnages  must  have  been 
taken  over  into  English  at  the  time  when  it  flourished  in 
France. '  *     One  of  these  lyrics  begins  :  — 

pis  enderday  in  o  morewenyng, 
wif>  dreri  herte  ant  gret  mouryng 

on  mi  folie  y  fohte ; 
one  )>at  is  so  suete  a  ping 
)?at  ber  iesse,  fe  heuene  king, 

merci  y  besohte.2 

The  second  poem  is  very  similar  in  its  setting :  — 

from  petres  bourh  in  o  morewenyng 
as  y  me  wende  omy  pley  yng, 

on  me  folie  y  fohte ; 
menen  y  gon  my  mournyng 
To  hire  j>at  ber  }>e  heuene  kyng, 

Of  merci  hire  bysohte.3 

In  a  more  general  way  the  first  stanza  of  No.  50  recalls  the 
setting  of  many  French  secular  poems,  not  necessarily  chansons. 

In  Somer  bi-fore  pe  Ascenciun 

At  Euensong  on  a  Sonundai 
Dwellyng  in  my  deuocioun 

ffor  J?e  pees  fast  gon  I  prai : 

I  herde  a  Reson  to  my  pai, 

1  Padelford,  Early  Sixteenth  Lyrics,  p.  xxxviii.  The  date  of  the  Harleian  MS. 
is  the  early  fourteenth  century.  2  No.  27.  8  No.  33. 


40 

pat  writen  was  with  wordes  pre, 
And  J?us  hit  is,  schortly  to  say : 
Mane  nobiscum  domine. 

The  mention  of  the  season,  of  the  day  with  the  time  and  atten- 
dant circumstances,  and  of  the  answer  'writen  with  wordes 
j>re/  all  indicate  the  ultimate  influence  of  French  poems, 
though  it  would  be  rash  to  say  that  the  lyric  quoted  owes 
much  directly  to  any  French  form.  This  kind  of  introduction 
became  extremely  popular  in  England  in  all  classes  of  poetry ; 
it  is  probable  that  the  above  stanza  owes  more  to  English 
than  to  French  models. 

The  influence  of  the  French  religious  lyric  is  neither  easily 
nor  satisfactorily  determinable.  The  religious  song  in  France 
dates  back  almost  as  far  as  does  the  secular  lyric  itself.  Wace 
relates  that  in  the  eleventh  century  the  Virgin  Mary  appeared 
before  certain  sailors,  and  saving  them  from  a  violent  storm, 
gave  explicit  directions  for  the  founding  of  the  Feast  of  the 
Conception  at  Caen.  Considerably  later,  similar  fetes  in  honor 
of  the  Virgin  were  established  at  Rouen,  Dieppe,  Arras,  Valen- 
ciennes, and  other  places,  until  by  the  fifteenth  century  there 
had  sprung  up,  all  over  France,  societies  that  sought  to  honor 
the  Mother  of  God  by  contesting  in  song.  We  do  not  know 
at  what  time  the  composition  of  poems  became  the  chief 
characteristic  of  these  fetes.  In  1325  such  a  contest  took 
place,  but  it  is  almost  certain  that  long  before  that  date  there 
had  been  many  hymns  sung  to  the  Virgin  on  these  occasions. 
However  this  may  be,  during  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth 
centuries  there  grew  up  in  France  a  class  of  religious  poetry 
connected  exclusively  with  these  feasts. 

The  rules  of  different  puys,  as  these  partly  literary,  partly 
religious,  societies  were  called,  varied  somewhat;  but  in 
general,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  the  procedure  followed  fairly 
uniform  lines.  The  puys  usually  lasted  about  ten  days,  each 
day  being  given  up   to  composing  and  reciting  hymns,   or 


41 

serventois,  in  honor  of  the  Virgin.  The  poems  were  usually 
strained  and  artificial.  The  form  of  the  serventois  early  be- 
came conventionalized.  There  were  normally  three  stanzas 
of  eleven  lines  each  and  an  envoy  of  four  or  five  lines,  in  which 
the  presiding  officer  and  judge,  the  'Prince,'  was  addressed. 
There  was  also  a  refrain  and  other  technical  requirements  into 
which  it  is  not  necessary  to  enter  here. 

Starting  with  these  serventois,  or  at  least  greatly  influenced 
by  them,  the  practice  of  singing  songs  to  Mary  soon  spread  to 
all  parts  of  France,  and  affected  nearly  all  kinds  of  lyric  poetry. 
The  serventois  became  extended  in  its  scope  and  seems  to  have 
included  almost  any  song  to  the  Virgin.1 

Divine  poems  took  also  other  forms  and  names ;  so  we  find 
Jean  Molinet  declaring :  '  Autre  couleur  de  rhethorique  nom- 
inee simple  lay  est  assez  usite  en  oroisons,  requestes  et  loenges.'2 
He  then  gives  an  example  of  a  lai  that  is  indeed  sufficiently 
removed  from  the  form  of  the  serventois. 

Out  of  the  secular  chanson  oV amour  there  grew  another  class 
of  religious  lyrics,  which  was  related  neither  to  the  formal 
serventois  nor  to  the  lai;  it  was  rather  an  adaptation  of  the 
chanson  itself  for  religious  purposes.  Thus  in  the  Bern  MS. 
we  find  several  chansons  de  nostre  dame  that  employ  the  same 
general  form  and  the  same  phraseology  as  the  secular  lyrics 
in  the  same  volume.  Gautier  de  Coinci,  also,  used  several 
chansons  d' 'amour  as  models  for  his  songs  to  Mary,  in  some  cases 
employing  even  the  rhymes  that  his  predecessors  had  used. 
Not  only  were  chansons  $  amour  turned  to  religious  uses,  but 
almost  every  other  type  of  the  secular  lyric  was  made  over  to 
fit  the  exigencies  of  religious  verse.3 

1  The  term  was  also  employed  for  a  kind  of  satirical  song,  a  use  which  of  course 
does  not  concern  us  here. 

2  Langlois,  Recueil,  p.  241. 

3  On  religious  imitations  in  French  poetry,  see  P.  Meyer  in  Romania,  XVII, 
429-437;  ibid.,  Romania,  XIX,  297-299;  Jeanroy,  Romania,  XVIII,  477-486; 
Bulletin  soc.  anc.  textes  Fran.  1886,  pp.  70  ff. ;  cf.  also  Novati,  Stadii  Critica, 
pp.  179-310. 


42 

The  influence  that  the  French  religious  lyric,  in  its  various 
forms  and  during  its  long  development,  exerted  upon  the 
poems  in  this  volume  seems  to  have  been  remarkably  slight. 
The  formal  serventois  with  its  set  form  and  literary  flavor  was 
quite  beyond  the  Middle  English  poet.  Evidently  it  did  not 
greatly  appeal  to  his  naive  taste.  Still,  there  are  hints  that 
this  kind  of  lyric,  though  unattempted  in  England,  was  not 
unknown  there.  No.  5,  which  in  its  introduction  shows  so 
clearly  the  influence  of  the  chanson  a  personnages,  indicates 
in  other  ways  that  its  author  was  something  of  a  literary 
artist  and  one  who  knew  a  little  of  foreign  conventions,  al- 
though he  chose  to  throw  all  these  marks  of  literary  acquire- 
ment confusedly  into  one  poem  rather  than  to  follow  any  one 
form  consistently.  The  use  of  a  refrain  is  doubtless  French, 
and  may  well  come  from  the  serventois,  in  which,  so  far  as  I  am 
aware,  it  was  never  lacking.  It  should  be  mentioned  here, 
however,  that  the  serventois  is  almost  identical  in  form  with 
many  of  the  French  ballades.  Since  the  conventions  of  these 
two  classes  of  poetry  are  largely  the  same,  it  is  impossible  to 
say  which  type  the  poet  is  trying  to  imitate.  More  striking 
than  the  use  of  a  refrain,  which  may  have  come  from  any  one 
of  several  sources,  is  the  manner  in  which  in  the  last  stanza  the 
poet,  dropping  the  complaint  form,  substitutes  his  own  words ; 
thus  in  a  way  he  secures  a  kind  of  envoy,  which  he  carries  out 
further  by  suddenly  addressing  Christ,  calling  Him  the  '  Prince 
of  alle  pite '  just  as  the  poet  of  the  puys  exclaimed  in  his  evoi :  — 

Prince  d'amours,  noble  fu  la  maistrie, 
Quant  sanz  charnel  meffait  fist  son  cher  filz, 
Amant  parfait,  homme  en  dame  infinie 
Dont  amans  sont  par  grace  resjois.1 

Other  poems  in  this  collection  have  refrains  that  suggest  a 
more  or  less  intimate  relation  with  French  lyric  poetry  of  the 

1  Serventois  couronni  in  Miracles  de  Nostre  Dame,  Soc.  des  anc.  textes  Fran., 
4,  pt.  Hi,  237. 


43 

ballade  type,  but  it  may  be  safely  said,  as  a  result  of  actual 
comparison  of  the  two,  that  the  formal  serventois  found  hardly 
an  echo  in  the  religious  poetry  of  England.  As  for  the  lais 
that  Molinet  mentions,  it  is  probable  that  they  also  were  with- 
out influence,  though  it  is  somewhat  hasty  to  speak  definitely 
while  so  many  French  poems  remain  in  manuscript. 

Concerning  the  influence  of  the  French  religious  imitation 
of  the  chanson  d' amour  it  is  even  more  difficult  to  decide.  Like 
the  English  songs  to  Mary,  these  French  parodies  took  over 
to  their  use  external  form,  phraseology,  and  to  some  extent 
emotional  qualities  that  had  previously  belonged  to  the  secular 
lyric ;  but  in  doing  this  they  differed  from  the  English  lyrics 
in  several  respects. 

The  French  chanson  poets,  when  they  turned  to  writing 
religious  verse,  had  had  a  long  training  in  the  art  of  writing. 
It  seems  to  have  been  the  usual  procedure  for  a  poet  to  devote 
himself  in  his  youth  to  composing  spirited  secular  poetry  in 
which  he  spent  his  strength  in  celebrating  the  charms  of  a 
worldly  love.  It  was  not  until  he  felt  his  powers  waning,  and 
fear  seized  upon  his  soul,  that  he  turned  to  Mary,  of  whose 
efficacious  aid  he  now  stood  in  dire  need,  but  of  whose  graces 
he  was  no  longer  in  a  mood  to  sing  spontaneously  and  well. 
Consequently  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  in  these  religious 
chansons  a  spirit  of  literary  art,  a  feeling  for  convention,  and  an 
artificiality  that  is  far  removed  not  only  from  the  simplicity 
of  the  English  songs,  but  also  from  the  superb  emotional  ex- 
pression of  the  French  secular  lyrics.  The  French  religious 
chanson,  building  upon  a  form  that  was  already  becoming  worn 
out,  lacks  in  general  the  outspoken  enthusiasm  that  charac- 
terized the  English  poems. 

It  is  not  possible  to  prove  conclusively  that  the  religious 
imitation  of  the  chanson  exerted  little  influence  in  England. 
Still,  it  is  evident  that  the  impassioned  songs  of  Gautier  de 
Coinci,  though  often  modeled  after  the  secular  chanson  d 'amour, 
did  not  affect  English  poetry,  for  his  tricks  of  style,  which  are 


44 


very  marked,  are  not  repeated  in  these  lyrics.  It  is  equally 
evident  that  the  colorless  religious  song  like  the  following,  often 
found  in  the  Bern  MS.  and  elsewhere,  was  not  widely  sung  in 
England :  — 

De  la  meire  Deu  doit  chanteir 
chascuns  ki  seit  faire  chanson 
k'anemins  ne  puet  enchanteir. 

Another  fact  that  must  be  borne  in  mind  is,  that  in  France 
the  religious  chanson  was  not  so  popular  as  other  forms  of 
religious  verse.  Most  of  the  religious  poets  preferred  the 
conventional  serventois  as  a  form  in  which  to  express  love  for 
Mary. 

It  may  be  that  now  and  then  the  English  poet  translated 
from  some  religious  French  poem,  but  on  the  whole  the  lyrics 
of  this  collection  showing  the  influence  of  the  chanson  breathe  a 
spirit  of  sincerity  and  a  freedom  from  restraint  and  literary 
convention  which  forbid  our  thinking  that  they  can  be  an 
imitation  of  an  imitation,  or  indeed  an  imitation  at  all;  for 
the  English  poet,  working  out  his  own  bent,  has  in  no  case  pro- 
duced a  thoroughly  typical  chanson  either  in  form  or  spirit. 

In  the  fourteenth  century  and  before,  there  also  flourished  in 
France  another  kind  of  religious  poetry.  In  style  this  was 
very  ornate ;  it  employed  long  words,  and  delighted  especially 
in  placing  an  adjective  of  many  syllables  in  the  rhyme;  it 
abounded  in  allusions  and  in  all  kinds  of  ornaments  and  em- 
bellishments. A  single  line  will  illustrate  admirably  the  nature 
of  these  lyrics :  — 

0  femme  resplendissans,  roi'ne  glorieuse  ! l 

This  literary  affectation  soon  spread  to  England.  Chaucer  in 
translating  his  ABC  poem  from  De  Guileville's  Pelerinage  de  la 
vie  humaine,  managed  to  preserve  the  spirit  and  manner  of  the 
original,  thereby  inaugurating  a  new  school  of  English  lyric 

1  Cat.  G6n.  des  MS.  des  Bib.  Publ.,  17-22. 


45 

poetry.  He  was  followed  by  Gower,  Occleve,  Lydgate,  and 
some  anonymous  poets.  The  influence  is  felt  in  only  one  of 
these  poems  —  the  Hymn  to  the  Virgin,  No.  69,  the  thought 
and  diction  of  which  are  sufficiently  ornate  to  prove  a  connec- 
tion with  this  class  of  poetry. 

The  influence  of  French  upon  the  Middle  English  peniten- 
tial lyric,  then,  comprises  that  derived,  first,  from  the  secular, 
and  secondly,  from  the  religious,  lyric.  The  chanson  oV  amour 
exerted  the  greatest  influence  upon  Middle  English  lyric 
verse.  Many  of  the  poems  in  this  volume  are  modeled  di- 
rectly after  the  chansons  in  both  form  and  content.  The 
chanson  a  personnages,  likewise,  affected  the  English  lyrics, 
particularly  in  their  external  form.  The  religious  poetry 
of  France,  however,  found  hardly  an  echo  in  English  lyric 
verse,  for  its  conventional  and  highly  literary  character  did 
not  appeal  to  the  unsophisticated  poets  of  England. 


MIDDLE    ENGLISH    PENITENTIAL 
LYRICS 

A  GENERAL  CONFESSION 

i.  (A  I  a  i)      Brit.  Mus.  Royal  MS.  17  B.  XVII.  fol.  4. 

I  know  [to  Go]d,  ful  of  myght, 
&  [to  his]  modir  mayden  bright, 

&  [to  alle  h]alouse  here, 
&  [to  ]>e,  fa]dre  gastly, 
fat  I  [have  s]ynned  largely,  5 

In  mony  synnes  sere : 
In  thoght,  in  speche,  &  in  delite, 
In  worde,  &  werk  I  am  to  wite 

and  worth  to  blame ; 
J>er-fore  I  praie  saynt  mary  10 

and  alle  halouse  haly, 

In  gods  name, 
and  ]>o  preste  to  praye  for  me, 
fat  god  haue  merci  &  pyte, 

for  his  manhede,  15 

of  my  wreched  synfulnes, 
&  gyue  me  grace  &  forgyuenes 

of  my  mys-dede. 

A  FORM  OF  CONFESSION 

2.  (A  I  a  2)  Vernon  MS. 

I  was  vn-kuynde, 
And  was  fennne  blynde, 
To  worche  a^eynes  his  wille, 
47 


48 

J?at  furst  me  wrou>t, 
And  sepf>e  me  bou>t, 

Fro  peynes  he  was  put  to  ille ; 
j>er-fore  we  pray 
To  ]>e  to-day, 

j>at  knowes  bof>e  good  and  ille, 
Graunt  vs  lyue, 
We  may  vs  schriue, 

Vr  penaunce  to  folfille. 


GENERAL   CONFESSION   OF  SINS 
3.  (A  I  b  i)  Rawlinson  MS.  B.  408. 

I  knowlech  to  god,  with  veray  contricon,  * 
Vn-to  seynt  mary,  and  his  seyntis  alle, 
pat,  porgh  my  frealte  and  wrecchid  condicion, 
In-to  many  synnes  of te  haue  I  falle ; 
But  aftir  mercy  now  wille  I  calle,  5 

With  true  confession,  repentaunce, 
(God  graunt  me  space),  and  due  penaunce. 

First :  I  knowlech  J?at  I  haue  broken 

His  x.  commaundementis  in  many  a  place, 
In  werke,  in  worde,  in  fought,  in  token ;  10 

And  of  te  be  vnkynd  vn-to  his  grace ; 
Sweryng  by  his  body,  or  by  his  face, 
Taken  in  ydul  his  blessid  holy  name : 
Wherfore  y  knowlech  me  gretely  to  blame. 

I  haue  not  loued  hym  and  dred  as  I  shuld,  15 

Neither  serued  hym  in  kepyng  myne  holyday ; 

But  rather  to  playes  &  Iapes  y  wolde, 
Then  to  serue  god,  rede,  syng,  or  pray. 
Al  j>e  circumstaunce  y  can  not  say, 


49 

So  synful  y  am  and  so  vns table,  20 

For  my  defautes  ben  innumerable. 

My  fader  and  moder  I  haue  not  obeyed, 

As  y  shuld  haue  done,  with  helpe  or  mekenesse, 
The  balance  of  vertues  I  haue  mysweyed, 

With  sleyng  of  tonge,  or  with  wilfulnesse,  25 

With  lechory,  or  with  J>efte,  or  fals  witnesse, 
Couetyng  wykkydly  man  or  marines  wyfe 
And  of>er  gode  j?at  longed  to  J?er  lyfe. 

The  seuen  dedely  synnes  I  can  not  excuse : 

For  I  am  gylty,  in  many  maner  wyse,  30 

With  delectacyon,  consente,  and  vse ; 
Al  now  to  reherce  I  may  not  suffyse ; 
In  Pryde,  Envye,  wrath,  Lechory,  &  couetyse, 
Sleuth,  and  Glotony,  with  al  )?er  spices. 
Alas  !  al  my  life  is  ful  of  vices  !  35 

And  my  fyue  wy ttes  I  haue  of te  myspend ; 

To  many  vanytes  castyng  my  syght, 
And  with  my  heeryng  ful  ofte  y  offend  ; 

My  smellyng,  my  tastyng,  I  spend  not  ryght, 
My  handes  to  synne  haue  ben  ful  light.  •  40 

Thus  haue  I  gouerned  my  wittes  fyve, 
And  in  synne  mispended  al  my  lyve. 

The  werkes  of  mercy  I  haue  not  fulfilled, 

Af tir  my  power,  as  ofte  as  I  myght : 
To  helpe  fe  pore  I  was  not  beste  willed,  45 

With  mete  and  drynke  and  closing  fern  dyght, 
>euyng  no  herborogh  a-dayes  or  nyght, 

Helpyng  no  prisoners,  ne  vysyting  ]>e  seeke ; 
To  bery  )>e  dede  I  was  not  meke. 


50 

The  gostely  werkes  y  haue  lef te  also  :  50 

To  councel  and  teche  fern  fat  were  lewde, 
Geuyng  no  comfort  in  socour  and  wo, 
Neyther  to  chaste  such  as  were  shrewde, 
And  so  f  er  harmes  not  sore  me  rewed, 

Neyther  for>euyng  with  true  pacience,  55 

Or  prayed  for  fern  fat  dide  me  offence. 

I  haue  not  reuerensed  f  e  seuen  sacramentes 

pat  ben  ordenyd  for  my  saluacion, 
But  of  sore  synned  fat  me  repentes 

Af tir  my  baptym  and  confirmacion ;  60 

My  orders  or  wedlok  standith  in  accusacion. 
God  graunt  me  penawnce,  and  holy  brede, 
And  holy  anoyntyng,  or  I  be  dede. 

Al  f  is  I  knowlech  in  general, 

Of  synnes  doyng,  and  leuyng  good  werkes.  65 

)ii  I  shulde  nombre  f  e  branches  especial, 
I  shulde  occupy  to  wryte  f  er-of  many  clerkes. 
With  synful  lyfe  my  sowle  derkes 

That  I  can  not  see  and  lasse  my  defautes, 

And  euer  my  enemyes  maketh  many  sautes.         70 

Now  light  me,  holygost !  with  f  i  presence ; 

And  ^eue  grace  my  lyfe  to  amende, 
With  drede,  and  pyte,  and  trew  science, 
With  gostely  strength  to  make  a  good  ende. 
Thy  gracyous  councel  to  me  now  sende,  75 

With  such  vnderstondyng,  and  clere  wisdome, 
That  y  may  come  to  f  i  kyngdome. 

A    CONFESSIOUN    TO    IHESU    CRIST 

4.     (Alb  2)  Vernon  MS. 

Swete  Ihesu  crist,  to  f  e 

A  gulti  wrecche  Ich  ^elde  me 


51 


ffor  sunnes  pat  ichaue  ido 

In  al  my  lyf  hider-to. 

In  Pruide,  in  Envye,  In  lecherye,  5 

In  Sleupe,  In  Wrappe,  in  Glotenye, 

In  al  pis  worldus  Couetyse, 

Ichaue  isunged  In  alle  pyse. 

I-broken  Ichaue  pi  Comaundemens 

A^eynes  myn  owne  Conciens,  10 

And  not  iserued  pe  to  queme  : 

Lord  Merci,  ar  pe  dom  is  deme. 

To  ofte  ichaue  in  my  lyue 

Isunged  in  my  wittes  fyue, 

Wip  Eres  I-herd,  wip  Ei^en  siht,  15 

Wip  sunful  speche  day  and  niht, 

Wip  Honden  I-hondlet,  wip  feet  I-go, 

Wip  Neose  i-smullet  eft  also, 

Wip  herte  sunfulliche  I-pouht, 

Wip  al  my  bodi  vuel  I-wrouht :  20 

And  of  alle  my  folye 

Merci,  lord  Ihesu,  Ich  crye. 

Al-pauh  ichaue  i-sunged  euere, 

Lord,  i  ne  forsok  pe  neuere, 

Ne  opur  god  ne  tok  i  none,  25 

fladur  of  heuene,  but  pe  one. 

And  perfore,  lord,  i  pe  biseche 

Wip  rihtful  hertliche  speche, 

Ne  >if  foume  none  mede 

Aftur  my  sunfule  dede.  30 

But  aftur,  lord,  pi  grete  pite 

Ihesu  lord,  asoyle  pou  me, 

And  send  me  ofte,  ar  I  dye, 

Serwe  in  herte,  and  ter  in  ei?e, 

ffor  sunnes  fat  ichaue  i-do  35 


52 


In  al  my  lyf  hider-to. 

And  let  me  neuere  eft  biginne 

To  do  no  more  dedly  synne, 

So  fat  I  at  myn  endyng-day 

Clene  of  synne  dye  may,  40 

WiJ?  Schrift  and  Hosul  at  myn  ende ; 

So  fat  my  soule  mowe  wende 

In  to  fat  blisful  Empyre 

per  fat  f  ou  regnest  lord  and  sire. 

Swete  ladi  seinte  Marie,  45 

fful  of  Alle  Curtesie, 

Modur  of  Merci  and  of  pite, 

Myn  hope,  myn  help  is  al  in  f  e. 

Wei  ich  wot,  ibore  f  ou  were 

In  help  of  al  vs  wrecches  here ;  50 

And  wel  ich  wot  fat  alle  f  ing 

pi  sone  wol  don  at  f  i  biddyng. 

Bi-sech  f  i  sone  lef  and  dere 

ffor  me  synf ul  wrecche  here ; 

Bi-seche  him,  for  f  e  loue  of  f  e  55 

pat  he  haue  merci  of  me ; 

And  help  me  at  myn  ende-day 

ffrom  f  e  foule  fendes  affray. 

Bi-seche  also  f  e  flour  of  alle, 

pi  sone,  for  my  frendes  alle,  60 

pat  he  hem  kepe  wif  his  grace 

ffrom  alle  perels  in  vche  place, 

And  ^ef  hem  god  lyf  and  god  ende, 

And  Ioye  whon  J?ei  schul  hef  ene  wende ; 

And  also  alle  cristene  men.  65 

God  lord  Ihesus,  Amen,  Amen. 

Seint  Michel  and  seint  Gabriel 
And  alle  f  e  Angeles  also  wel : 


53 


Preye))  for  me  to  vre  ladi, 

pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  merci.  70 

Holi  Patriarkes  and  prophetes, 
Alle  i  preye  ow  and  bi-seches  : 
Preye))  for  me  to  vre  ladi, 
pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  merci. 

Peter  and  Poul,  j?e  Apostles  alle,  75 

Alle  i  beo-seche  ou  ^erne  and  calle  : 
Preye}?  for  me  to  vre  ladi, 
pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  merci. 

Seint  Steuene  and  seint  Laurens 

And  alle  gode  Martires  J>at  f>oleden  turmens :        80 

Preye))  for  me  to  vre  ladi, 

pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  Merci. 

Seint  Martin  and  seint  Nicholas 

And  alle  gode  confessours  fat  euer  was  : 

Preye))  for  me  to  vre  ladi,  85 

pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  merci. 

Seinte  Katerine  and  seinte  Mergrete 

And  alle  f>e  virgines  gode  and  swete : 

Preye))  for  me  to  vre  ladi, 

pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  merci.  90 

Seinte  Marie  Maudeleyne, 
To  )>e  I  pre^e  and  eke  pleyne : 
Preye))  for  me  to  vre  ladi, 
pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  merci. 

Alle  Halewen  ^at^euere  were,  95 

pat  beof  crist  lef  and  dere : 
Preye))  for  me  to  vre  ladi, 
pat  Ihesus  of  me  haue  merci. 


54 


AS    I    WANDREDE    HER    BI    WESTE 

5.     (A  II  1)  Vernon  MS. 

As  I  wandrede  her  bi  weste, 
ffaste  vnder  a  forest  syde, 
I  serj  a  wiht  went  him  to  reste, 
Vnder  a  bou^h  he  gon  a-byde ; 
pus  to  crist  ful  ^eor[n]e  he  cri^ede,  5 

And  bope  his  hondes  he  held  on  hei^ 
"  Of  pouert,  plesaunce  &  eke  of  pruide, 
Ay,  Merci,  God,  And  graunt  Merci. 

God,  fat  I  haue  I-greuet  J?e 

In  wille  &  werk,  in  word  and  dede,  10 

Almihti  lord,  haue  Merci  of  me, 

pat  for  my  sunnes  pi  blod  gon  schede ! 
Of  wit  &  worschupe,  weole  &  wede 

I  ponke  pe,  lord,  ful  Inwardly ; 
Al  in  J>is  world,  hou  euere  I  spede,  15 

Ay,  Merci,  god,  And  graunt  Merci. 

Graunt  Merci,  god,  of  al  pi  ^ifte, 

Of  wit  &  worschupe,  weole  &  wo ; 
In  to  j?e,  lord,  myn  herte  I  lifte, 
Let  neuer  my  dedes  twynne  vs  a- two.  20 

Merci  pat  I  haue  mis  do, 

And  sle  me  nou^t  sodeynly ! 
pou}  ffortune  wolde  be  frend  or  fo, 
Ay,  Merci,  God,  And  graunt  Merci. 

I  am  vnkuynde,  and  fat  I  knowe,  25 

And  J)OU  hast  kud  me  gret  kuyndenes ; 

perfore  wif>  humbel  herte  and  lowe, 
Merci  and  for-^iuenes 


55 


Of  Pruyde  and  of  vnboxumnes  ! 

What  eueri  sonde  be,  )ms  sey  I,  .       30 

In  hap  and  hele,  and  in  seknes, 

Ay,  Merci,  god,  And  graunt  Merci. 

Graunt  Merci,  God,  of  al  J>i  grace, 
pat  fourmed  me  wif>  wittes  fyue, 
WiJ?  fleet  and  hond,  &  eke  of  face  35 

And  lyflode,  whil  I  am  alyue. 
Sij?en  fou  hast  ^iue  me  grace  to  fryue, 

And  I  haue  Ruled  me  Rechelesly, 
I  weore  to  blame,  and  I  wolde  striue, 
But  Merci,  God,  And  Graunt  Merci.  40 

Merci  fat  I  haue  mis-spent 

Mi  wittes  fyue  !  ferfore  I  wepe  ; 
To  dedly  synnes  ofte  haue  I  asent, 

pi  Comaundemens  coufe  I  neuer  kepe ; 

To  sle  my  soule  In  sunne  I  slepe,  45 

And  lede  my  lyf  in  Lecheri, 
ffrom  Couetyse  couj>e  I  neuere  crepe ; 
Ay,  Merci,  God,  And  Graunt  Merci. 

Of  ofes  grete  and  Gloteny, 

Of  wanhope  and  of  wikked  wille  :  50 

Bacbyte  my  nei^hebors  for  enuy, 
And  for  his  good  I  wolde  him  culle ; 
Trewe  men  to  Robbe  and  spille, 

Of  Symony  and  with  surquidri ; 
Of  all  )?at  euere  I  haue  don  ille,  55 

Ay  Merci,  God,  And  graunt  Merci. 

Bi  lawe  I  scholde  no  lengor  Hue 

pen  I  hedde  don  a  dedly  synne ;  „ 

Graunt  Merci  )>at  }e  wolde  forgiue, 

And  ^eue  me  space  to  mende  me  Inne  !  60 


56 


ffrom  wikked  dedes  &  I  wolde  twynne, 

To  Receyue  me  ^e  beo  redi 
In-to  f  i  blisse  fat  neuer  schal  blynne, 

Nou  Merci,  God,  And  graunt  Merci. 

Graunt  Merci,  for  f  ou  madest  me,  65 

Merci,  for  I  haue  don  a-Mis ; 
Min  hope,  Min  help  is  hoi  in  f  e, 
And  fou  hast  ^ore  bi-heiht  me  f  is : 
Whos  euere  is  Baptised  schal  haue  Blis, 

And  he  Rule  him  Rihtwysli.  70 

To  worche  f  i  wille,  lord,  f  ou  me  wis ! 
Nou  Merci,  God,  And  graunt  Merci. 

Soffast  god,  what  schal  I  say, 

how  schulde  I  amendes  make, 
pat  plesed  f  e  neuere  in-to  f  is  day  75 

Ne  schop  me  nou^t  mi  sunnes  forsake  ? 
But  schrift  of  mouf  e  mi  sunnus  schal  slake 

And  I  schal  sece  and  beo  sori, 
And  to  fi  Merci  I  me  take. 

Nou  Merci,  God,  [And]  Graunt  Merci."  80 

ffader  &  sone  and  holigost, 

Graunt  Merci,  God  wif  herte  liht, 
ffor  f  ou  woldest  not  fat  I  weore  lost. 
pe  ffader  haf  ^iuen  me  a  miht, 
pe  sone  a  science  and  a  siht  85 

And  wit  to  welde  me  worschupely, 
pe  Holigost  vr  grace  haf  diht. 

Nou  Merci,  God,  And  graunt  Merci." 

pis  is  f  e  Trone  fat  twynned  neuere, 

And  preued  is  persones  f  re,  90 

fat  is  and  was  and  schal  ben  euere, 

Only  God  in  Trinite  ; 


57 


help  vs,  Prince  of  alle  pite, 

Atte  day  j?at  we  schal  dy, 
pi  swete  face  J?at  we  may  se.  95 

Nou  Merci,  God,  And  Graunt  Merci. 


I    WITE    MY    SELF    MYNE    OWNE    WOO 
6.     (A  II  2)  Rawl  MS.  C.  86. 

fol.  71  In  my  youth  fulle  wylde  I  was, 

My  self  pat  tyme  I  cowde  not  knowe, 

I  had  my  wylk  in  euery  place, 

And  pat  hath  brow^t  me  now  so  lowe. 

To  chastice  me  pu  didist  it  I  trowe !  5 

Thynke,  Jhesu,  I  am  j>yne  owne ! 

ffor  me  were  f>y  sydes  bloo ; 

I  wite  my  self  myne  owne  woo ! 

I  made  compromite  trewe  to  be, 

ffirste  whanne  I  baptisid  was  ;  10 

I  toke  j?e  worlde  and  went  fro  pe, 

I  folowd  f>e  fende  in  his  trace ; 

ffrom  envie  wold  I  not  pas ; 

With  couetise  I  was  caujt  also, 

My  flessh  had  his  wille,  [alas  !]  15 

I  wite  my  self  myne  owne  woo ! 

lorde,  I  had  no  drede  of  )>e ; 
Thy  grace  went  Away  perior ; 
But,  lorde,  sfyen  f>u  bou^tist  me, 
Thow  woldest  not  pat  I  were  lore.  20 

fol.  71  ffor  me  Jm  sufferste  peynes  sore  ; 

Thow  my  frende  and  I  py  foo ; 
Mercy,  lorde,  I  wolk  no  more ; 
I  wyte  my  self  myne  owne  woo ! 


58 

Now  I  wote  I  was  fulle  wylde,  25 

ffor  my  wille  passid  my  witte ; 

I  was  full  sturdy  and  )>u  fulle  mylde, 

lorde,  now  I  knowe  welle  hit. 

Off  py  blisse  I  were  fulle  qwyte, 

Yf  I  had  yt  after  pat  I  haue  do ;  30 

But  to  )>y  mercy  I  truste  yt ; 

I  wite  my  self  myne  owne  woo ! 

hygh  of  herte  I  was  and  prowde, 

And  of  clof>yng  wondir  gaye ; 

I  loked  pat  men  shuld  to  me  lowte  35 

Were  pat  I  wente  in  f>e  waye. 

On  women  and  on  good  araye, 

All  my  delite  stode  only  perto ; 

Ayen  J>y  techyng  I  said  naye ; 

I  wyte  my  self  myne  owne  woo  !  40 

Alle  my  truste  was  on  my  goode, 
More  fan  on  god  pat  me  hit  sent ; 
Welth  made  me  high  of  mode ; 
luste  and  lykynge  me  oner  wente. 
To  gete  good  I  wolde  not  stynte ;  45 

I  ne  rawghte  how  pat  I  came  perto ; 
fol.  72  To  pe  pore  neper  gave  ne  lente ; 

Therfore  I  wite  my  self  e  myne  owne  woo. 

Ther  be  j?re  poyntes  of  myschef 

That  arn  confusion  to  many  A  man,  50 

Whych  pat  makyth  pe  saule  greve ; 

I  shall  hem  telle  as  I  can : 

Pore  men  prowde  pat  litelle  han, 

That  wolde  be  arrayed  as  ryche  men  goon  ; 

Yf  )>ey  do  folye,  and  be  taen  55 

They  may  wite  hem  self  her  owne  woo ! 


59 


A  ryche  man  A  thef  is  A  noper, 

That  of  covetise  wolle  not  slake. 

Yf  be  wrong  [he]  be  gyle  his  broper, 

In  blisse  he  shalle  be  forsake.  60 

Byfore  god  thef te  is  take ; 

Alk  pat  with  wrong  he  wynneth  so ; 

But  yf  pat  he  A  mendis  make, 

he  shalle  wite  him  self  his  owne  woo ! 

Olde  man  lechour  is  pe  firdde ;  65 

ffor  of  complexciown  waxeth  colde. 

hit  bryngeth  pe  soule  payne  Amydde  ; 

hit  stynketh  on  god  many  folde. 

Thyes  J>re  pat  I  haue  of  tolde 

Arn  plesyng  to  pe  fende,  owre  foo.  70 

hem  to  vse  who  is  so  bolde 

May  wite  hym  self  his  owne  woo ! 


fol.  72  Man  take  hede  what  pu  art ! 


But  wormys  mete  p\i  wote  wel  fis ! 
Whanne  pe  erthe  hath  take  his  parte,  75 

heven  or  helle  wolle  haue  his. 
Yf  )>u  doest  welk  J>u  goest  to  blis ; 
Yf  pu  do  eville  vnto  J?y  foo  ; 
love  )?y  lorde,  and  thynke  on  jris, 
Or  wite  )>y  self  J?yn  owne  woo  !  80 

funis 


A    PRAYER    TO    OUR    LADY 

7.  (A  II  3)  Add.  MS.  27,909. 

Leuedi  sainte  marie,  moder  and  meide, 

}>u  wisie  me  nuf>e  for  ich  eom  eirede ; 

vnnut  lif  to  longe  ich  lede, 

hwanne  ich  me  bif>enche,  wel  sore  ich  me  a-drede. 


60 

Ich  eom  i-bunde  sore  mid  wel  feole  seonne,  5 

mid  smale  and  mid  grete,  mid  wel  feole  cunne. 
dai  and  nicht  ich  fundie  to  wendende  heonne 
wielde  Godd  an  heuene  to  hwucchere  wunne. 

Slep  me  haS  mi  lif  forstole  richt  half  ofter  more ; 
awai  to  late  ich  was  iwar  ;  nu  hit  me  reoweS  sore  10 

inne  slepe  ne  wende  ich  endie  nocht,  J>ech  ich  slepe  euremore. 
hwao  se  life'8  )>at  wakerur  beo  pencj?  of  mine  sore. 

Al  to  longe  slepS  pe  mann  pat  neure  nele  awakie. 
hwo  se  understant  wel  his  ende-dai,  wel  ^eorne  he  mot  spakie 
to  donde  sunne  awei  fram  him  and  fele  almesse  makie ;  15 

)ii  him  ne  schal  hwanne  he  for5  want,  his  brei  gurdel  quakie. 

Slep  me  haS  mi  lif  forstole  er  ich  me  bisehe ; 

pat  ich  wel  a^itte  nu  bi  suhSe  of  min  ehe. 

mi  brune  her  is  hwit  bicume,  ich  not  for  hwucche  leihe ; 

and  mi  tohte  rude  iturnd  al  in-to  oSre  dehe.  20 

Ifurn  ich  habbe  isunehed  mid  worke  and  mid  worde, 

hwile  in  mine  bedde  and  hwile  atte  borde. 

ofte  win  idrunke  and  selde  of  pe  forde. 

muchel  ich  habbe  ispened ;  to  lite  ich  habbe  an  horde. 

Hord  pat  ich  telle,  is  almesse-dede  :  25 

>ieue  J>e  hungrie  mete  and  te  nakede  iwede, 

rede  pe  redliese  pat  is  wi'5-ute  rede, 

luuie  god  almichti,  and  of  him  habbe  drede. 

Ifurn  ich  habbe  isune^et  mid  wurken  and  midd  muSe ; 
and  mid  alle  mine  lime  siSSe  ich  sunehi  cu5e.  30 

and  wel  feole  sunne  ido  pe  me  ofpinche'5  nuSe, 
and  swo  me  hadde  ifurn  ido,  ^if  hit  me  crist  i-^u'5e. 

Moder,  ful  of  milce,  ibidde  mi  mod  wende ; 
laete  me  steowi  mi  flesc,  and  mine  fo  schiende ; 


61 

edmodnesse  luuie  to  mine  lifes  ende ;  35 

luue  to  gode  and  te  mann,  ic  bidde  pat  tu  me  sende. 

Leuedi  sainte  marie,  understond  nu  seonne  mine. 

ber  min  erende  wel  to  deore  sune  pine, 

hwas  fle[s]ch  and  blod  ihal^ed  is  of  bred,  of  water,  of  wine, 

pat  us  ischulde  he  eure  fram  alle  helle  pine.  40 

Inne  mete  and  inne  drinke  ic  habbe  ibeo  ouerdede, 

and  inne  wel  sittende  schon  in  pruttere  iwede. 

hwanne  ich  ihurde  of  gode  speke,  ne  hedd  ich  hwat  me  sede. 

hwan  ich  hier-of  rekeni  schal,  wel  sore  me  mei  drede. 


HE>E    LOUERD,    pOU    HERE    MY    BONE 

8.  (A  II-4)  Harl.  MS.  2253. 

He^e  louerd,  pou  here  my  bone, 
pat  madest  middelert  &  mone, 

ant  mon  of  murpes  munne ; 
trusti  kyng,  ant  trewe  in  trone, 
fat  pou  be  wip  me  sahte  sone,  5 

asoyle  me  of  sunne. 
ffol  ich  wes  in  folies  fayn, 
In  luthere  lastes  y  am  layn, 

pat  make))  myn  pryf  tes  punne  ; 
pat  semly  sawes  wes  woned  to  seyn,  10 

Nou  is  marred  al  my  meyn, 

away  is  al  my  wunne. 

vnwunne  hauep  myn  wonges  wet, 

pat  make)?  me  routes  rede ; 
Ne  semy  nout  per  y  am  set,  15 

per  me  callep  me  fule  flet, 

ant  way  noun  !  wayteglede. 


62 


whil  ich  wes  in  wille  &  wolde, 
In  vch  abour  among  f  e  bolde 

yholde  wif  f  e  heste ;  20 

Nou  y  may  no  fynger  folde, 
Lutel  loued,  ant  lasse  ytolde, 

y  leued  wif  f  e  leste. 
A  goute  me  haf  ygreyf ed  so, 
ant  of  er  eueles  monye  mo,  25 

ynot  whet  bote  is  beste ; 
fat  er  wes  wilde  ase  f  e  ro, 
nou  yswyke,  y  mei  nout  so, 

hit  siwef  me  so  faste. 

ffaste  y  wes  on  horse  heh,  30 

ant  werede  worly  wede ; 
Nou  is  faren  al  my  feh, 
wij>  serewe  fat  ich  hit  euer  seh, 

a  staf  ys  nou  my  stede. 

when  y  se  steden  styfe  in  stalle,  35 

ant  y  go  haltinde  in  f  e  halle, 

Myn  huerte  gynnej)  to  helde ; 
fat  er  wes  wildest  in  wif  walle, 
nou  is  vnder  fote  yfalle, 

ant  mey  no  fynger  felde.  40 

f  er  ich  wes  luef,  icham  ful  loht, 
ant  alle  myn  godes  me  at  goht, 

myn  gomenes  waxef  gelde ; 
fat  feyre  founden  mi  mete  &  cloht, 
hue  wrief  awey,  as  hue  were  wroht,  45 

such  is  euel  ant  elde. 

Euel,  ant  elde,  ant  ofer  wo 

folewef  me  so  faste, 
me  f  unkef  myn  herte  brekef  a  tuo ; 
suete  god,  whi  shal  hit  swo?  50 

hou  mai  hit  lengore  laste  ? 


63 


whil  mi  lif  wes  luj?er  &  lees, 
glotonie  mi  glemon  wes, 

wif  me  he  wonede  a  while ; 
prude  wes  my  plawe  fere,  55 

lecherie  my  lauendere, 

wij?  hem  is  gabbe  &  gyle. 
Coueytise  myn  keyes  bere, 
Ni)?e  ant  onde  were  mi  fere, 

fat  bue}>  folkes  fyle.  60 

Lyare  wes  mi  latymer, 
sleuthe  &  slep  mi  bedyner 

J>at  whenef  me  vnbe  while. 

vmbe  while  y  am  to  whene, 

when  y  shal  murfes  meten ;  65 

monne  mest  y  am  to  mene : 
lord,  }>at  hast  mi  lyf  to  lene, 

such  lotes  lef  me  leten ! 

such  lyf  ich  haue  lad  fol  ^ore ; 

merci,  louerd !  y  nul  namore,  70 

bowen  ichulle  to  bete ; 
syker  hit  siwej?  me  f ul  sore ; 
gabbes  les  &  lufere  lore 

Sunnes  buef>  vn  sete. 
godes  heste  ne  huld  y  noht,  75 

bote  euer  a^eyn  is  wille  ywroht, 

mon  lere)?  me  to  lete. 
such  serewe  haj)  myn  sides  Jmrhsoht, 
)>at  al  y  weolewe  a  way  to  noht, 

when  y  shal  murfes  mete.  80 

To  mete  murfes  ich  wes  wel  fous, 

ant  comely  mon  to  calle ; 
ysugge  by  ofer  ase  by  ous : 
alse  ys  hirmon  halt  in  hous, 

ase  heuej?  hount  in  halle.  85 


64 


Dredful  dep,  why  wolt  pou  dare 
bryng  pis  body,  pat  is  so  bare, 

ant  yn  bale  ybounde  ? 
Careful  mon  yeast  in  care, 
yfalewe  as  flour  ylet  forpfare,  90 

ychabbe  myn  depes  wounde. 
murpes  helpep  me  no  more ; 
help  me,  lord,  er  pen  ich  hore, 

ant  stunt  my  lyf  a  stounde ! 
pat  ^okkyn  hap  y^yrned  ^ore,  95 

Nou  hit  serewep  him  ful  sore, 

ant  bringep  him  to  grounde. 

to  grounde  hit  hauep  him  ybroht : 

whet  ys  pe  beste  bote  ? 
bote  heryen  him  pat  haht  vs  boht,  100 

vre  lord,  pat  al  pis  world  hap  wroht, 

ant  fallen  him  to  fote. 

Nou  icham  to  depe  ydyht, 

ydon  is  al  my  dede ; 
god  vs  lene  of  ys  lyht,  105 

pat  we  of  sontes  habben  syht, 

ant  heuene  to  mede  ! 
amen. 


GOD,    pAT    AL    pIS    MYHTES    MAY 

9.  (A  II-5)  Harl.  MS.  2253,  fol.  106,  a. 

God,  pat  al  pis  myhtes  may, 
in  heuene  &  erpe  py  wille  ys  00, 

ichabbe  be  losed  mony  a  day, 
er  ant  late  y  be  py  foo ; 


65 

Ich  wes  to  wyte  &  wiste  my  lay ;  5 

longe  habbe  holde  me  per  fro ; 
vol  of  merci  pou  art  ay, 

al  vngreype  icham  to  pe  to  go. 

To  go  to  him  pat  haj>  ous  boht, 

my  gode  deden  buep  fol  smalle ;  10 

of  pe  werkes  pat  ich  ha  wroht 

pe  beste  is  bittrore  pen  pe  galle. 
My  god  ich  wiste,  y  nolde  hit  noht, 

in  folie  me  wes  luef  to  f alle ; 
when  y  my  self  haue  pourh  soht,  15 

y  knowe  me  for  pe  worst  of  alle. 

God,  pat  deadest  on  }>e  rod, 

al  pis  world  to  forpren  &  fylle : 
for  ous  pou  sheddest  pi  suete  blod, 

pat  y  ha  don,  me  lykep  ylle ;  20 

bote  er  a^eyn  pe  stip  ystod, 

er  &  late,  loude  ant  stille, 
of  myne  deden  fynde  y  non  god ; 

lord,  of  me  pou  do  py  wylle. 

In  herte  ne  myhte  y  neuer  bowe,  25 

ne  to  my  kunde  louerd  drawe ; 
my  meste  vo  ys  my  loues  trowe, 

crist  ne  stod  me  neuer  hawe. 
Ich  holde  me  vilore  pen  a  gyw, 

&  y  my  self  wolde  bue  knawe !  30 

Lord,  merci,  rewe  me  now ! 

reyse  vp  pat  ys  f alle  lawe ! 

God,  pat  al  pis  world  shal  hede, 

pe  gode  myht  pou  hast  in  wolde ; 
on  erpe  pou  come  for  oure  nede,  35 

for  ous  sunful  were  boht  &  solde : 


66 

when  we  buef  dempned  after  vr  dede 
a  domesday,  when  ryhtes  buef  tolde, 

when  we  shule  suen  f  y  wounde  blede, 

to  speke  f  enne  we  buef  vnbolde.  40 

vnbold  icham  to  bidde  f  e  bote, 

swyf  e  vnreken  ys  my  rees ; 
f  y  wey  ne  welk  y  ner  afote, 

to  wickede  werkes  y  me  chees ; 
fals  y  wes  in  crop  ant  rote,  45 

when  y  seyde  f  y  lore  wes  lees ; 
Iesu  crist,  f  ou  be  mi  bote, 

so  boun  icham  to  make  my  pees. 

Al  vnreken  ys  my  ro, 

louerd  crist,  whet  shal  y  say  ?  50 

Of  myne  deden  fynde  y  non  fro, 

ne  nof yng  fat  y  f  enke  may. 
vnworf  icham  to  come  f  e  to, 

y  serue  f  e  nouf  er  nyht  ne  day ; 
In  fy  merci  y  me  do,  55 

god,  fat  al  f  is  myhtes  may. 

THE    PRAYER 

10.  (B  a  I  a  1)       Horae  MS.  in  York  Minster  Library. 

lorde  iesu  cryste,  leuand  god  sone, 

pu  set  f  i  deyd,  f  i  cros,  and  f  i  passione, 

Be-twix  fi  dome,  &  my  saul,  for  deyd  fat  I  haue  don, 

Now  [and]  at  my  endyng  fat  I  be  noght  fordon. 

And  graunte  us  mercy,  &  grace  whyls  we  er  on  lyue,        5 

Un-to  f  i  kyrke,  un-to  f  i  rewme,  for  f  i  wondys  fiue ; 

forgyuenes  &  reste  to  f  aim  J>at  to  ded  ere  dryue, 

joy  to  al  synful :  J>is  graunt  us  be-liue. 

p u  fat  Hues,  p u  fat  reynnes,  god  wit-owtyn  ende 

in  werld  of  werles  wit  ioy  fat  euer  sal  lende.  10 


67 


LOVERD,    SHYLD    ME    VROM    HELLE    DETH 

ii.  (B  a  I  a  2)  Porkington  MS.  No.  10. 

Loverd,  shyld  me  vrom  helle  deth  at  thylke  gryslich  stounde, 
When  heveneand  oertheshulle  quake  and  al  that  ys  ongrounde, 
When  thou  shalt   demen   al  wyth   fur,  that   ys    on   oerthe 
y-vounde. 

Libera  me,  Domine,  etc. 

Ich  am  overgard  agast,  and  quake  al  in  my  speche,  5 

A> a  the  day  of  rykenyng  and  thylke  gryslych  wreche, 
When  hevene  and  oerthe  shulle  quake,  and  al  that  ys  ongrounde. 
That  day  ys  day  of  wreythe,  of  wo,  and  soroufolnesse ; 
That  day  shall  boe  the  grete  day,  and  voul  of  bytternesse, 
When  thow  shalt  demen    al  wyth   fur    that   ys    on   oerthe 
y-vounde.  10 

Thylke  reste  that  ever  last,  loverd,  thow  hoem  sende, 
And  lyht  of  hoevene  blysse  hoem  shyne  wythouten  ende ! 
Crist,  shyld  me  vrom  deth  endeles,  etc. 
What,  ich  vol  of  wrechenesse,  hou  shal  ich  take  opon, 
When  ich  no  god  ne  bringe  to-vore  the  domes  mon  ?  15 

IN    MANUS    TUAS 

12.  (Bala  3)  Arundel  MS.,  292. 

Loverd  Godd,  in  hondes  tine 
I  biqueSe  soule  mine, 
Su  me  boctest  wiS  5i  deadd, 
Loverd  Godd  of  soSfastheedd. 

TO    OUR  LADY 

13.  (Bala  4)  York  tforae  MS. 

Blessyd  marye,  virgin  of  nazareth, 
And  moder  to  the  myghty  lorde  of  grace, 


68 

That  his  people  saued  hath  with  his  deth 

From  the  paynes  of  the  infernall  place ; 

Now  blessyd  lady,  knele  before  his  face,  5 

And  praye  to  hym  my  soule  to  saue  from  losse, 
Whiche  with  his  blode  hath  bought  us  on  the  crosse. 

PREY   WE   TO   THE   TRINYTE 

14.  (B  a  I  b  1)  MS.  Engl.  Poet.  e.  I. 

Prey  we  to  the  Trinyte, " 
And  to  al  the  holy  compane, 
For  to  bryng  us  to  the  blys, 
The  wych  shal  never  mysse. 

Jhesus,  for  thi  holy  name,  5 

And  for  thi  beter  passyon, 
Save  us  frome  syn  and  shame 

And  endeles  damnacyon ; 
And  bryng  us  to  that  blysse, 
That  nevere  shal  mysse.  10 

0  gloryusse  lady,  quen  off  heven, 

0  mayden  and  o  mothere  bryght, 
To  thy  sonne  with  myld  steven 

Be  owr  gyde  both  day  and  nyght ; 
That  we  may  cum  to  that  blysse,  15 

The  wych  never  shal  mysse. 

Gabryell  and  Raphaell, 

With  scherapyn  and  seraphyn, 
Archangell  Mychaell, 

With  all  the  orderes  nyne,  20 

Bryng  us  to  that  blysse, 
The  wych  never  shal  mysse. 

O  ye  holy  patryarkys, 

Abraham,  Ysaak,  and  many  moo, 
Ye  were  full  blyssed  in  yowr  werkes,  25 

With  Johan  the  Baptyst  also, 


69 


For  to  bryng  us  to  that  blysse, 
The  wych  never  shal  mysse. 

The  holy  apostoles  off  Cryst, 

Petur,  Paule,  and  Bartylmewe,  30 

With  Thomas,  and  Johan  the  evangelyst, 

And  Andrew,  Jamys,  and  Mathewe, 
Bryng  us  to  that  hevenly  blysse, 
The  wych  never  shall  mysse. 

Pray  fore  us  ye  seyntys  bryght,  35 

Stevyn,  Laurence,  and  Cristofore, 
And  swete  Georg,  that  noble  knyght, 

With  all  the  marters  in  the  qwere, 
That  we  may  cum  to  that  blysse, 
The  wych  never  shall  mysse.  40 

Blyssyd  confessor,  sent  Gregory, 

With  Nycholas,  and  Edward  kyng, 
Sent  Leonard,  and  Antony, 

To  yow  we  pray  above  all  thyng, 
To  helpe  us  to  that  blysse,  45 

The  wych  never  shal  mysse. 

0  yow  blyssed  matrones, 

Anne  and  swet  sent  Elsabeth, 
With  al  the  gloryus  vyrgyns, 

Kateryne  and  noble  sent  Margaret,  50 

Bryng  us  to  the  hevenly  blysse, 
The  wych  never  shal  mysse. 

All  the  company  celestyall, 

The  wych  do  syng  so  musycall, 
To  the  kyng  pryncypall  55 

Pray  fore  us  terrestyall, 
That  we  may  cum  to  that  blysse, 
The  wych  never  shall  mysse. 


70 


A   SHORT   PRAYER  AFTER   THE   LEVATION 
FOR   MERCY 

15.  (B  a  I  c  1)        Brit.  Mus.  Royal  MS.  17  B.  XVII. 

Lord,  als  f  ou  con,  &  als  f  ou  wille, 
haue  merci  of  me,  fat  has  don  ille ; 
for  what-so  f  ou  with  me  wil  do, 
I  holde  me  payde  to  stonde  f er-to ; 
fi  merci,  ihesu,  wold  I  haue, 
and  I  for  ferdnes  durst  hit  craue, 
bot  f  ou  bids  aske,  &  we  shal  haue ; 
swete  ihesu,  make  me  saue, 
And  gyue  me  witt  &  wisdame  right, 
to  loue  f  e,  lord,  with  al  my  might. 

A   PREYER   AT   pE   LEUACIOUN 

16.  (Bale  2)  Vernon  MS. 

I  f  e  honoure  wif  al  my  miht 
In  fourme  of  Bred  as  i  fe  se, 
Lord,  fat  in  fat  ladi  briht, 
In  Marie  Mon  bi-come  for  me. 

pi  fflesch,  f  i  blod  is  swete  of  siht, 
Pi  Sacrament  honoured  to  be. 
Of  Bred  and  Wyn  wif  word  i-diht ; 
Almihti  lord,  I  leeue  in  f  e. 

I  am  sunful,  as  f ou  wel  wost : 
Ihesu,  f  ou  haue  merci  of  me ; 
SofTre  f  ou  neuere  fat  I  be  lost 
ffor  whom  fou  di^edest  vppon  f  e  tre, 
Ac  forwh  fat  ladi  of  Merci  most 
Mi  soule  f  ou  bringe  in  blisse  to  f  e ; 


71 


Repentaunce  to-fore  mi  def,  15 

Schrif[t]  and  Hosul  J>ou  graunte  me, 
Wij?  fTadur  and  Sone  and  Holygost, 
pat  Regnep  God  In  Trinite.     Amen. 

IHESU,   FILI   DEI,   MISERERE   ME 

17.  (Balc3)  Add.  MS.  5665. 

Ihesu,  fill  dei,  miserere  me  ! 
Glorius  god  in  trinite, 
well  of  man  and  pyte, 
thus  cryed  the  woman  of  canany : 
miserere  mei,  miserere  mei !  5 

Thou  came  fro  heuen  fro  thi  se 
To  this  worlde  a  man  to  be ; 
Ther  for  y  crye  deuoteli, 
Miserere  mei  I 

As  )jou  haddest  vn  hir  pyte,  10 

So  y  pray  thou  haue  vn  me 
Glorius  god  in  trinite, 
Miserere  mei  ! 

PRAYER  FOR   GOD'S   MERCY 

18.  (B  a  I  c  4)  Rawlinson  MS.  B  408. 

Now,  god  almyghty,  haue  mercy  on  me, 
For  maryes  prayers  and  al  pi  sayntes, 
To  whom,  wepyng  and  knelyng  on  kne, 
Thus  now  I  make  my  complayntes. 
For  sorow  and  shame  my  hert  ful  f ayntes ;  5 

Wherfor  of  al  my  synnes  mercy  I  cry, 
And  pray  the  to  bryng  to  heuen  an  hy. 


72 

PRAYER   TO    MARY 

19.  (B  a  I  c  5)  Rawlinson  MS.  B  408. 

I  pray  f>e,  lady,  J?e  moder  of  crist, 

Praieth  ^oure  sone  me  for  to  spare, 
With  al  angels,  and  Iohn  Baptist, 
And  al  ^oure  company  fat  now  ys  thare. 
Al  holichurch,  for  my  welfare, 

Graunt  me  of  ^oure  merites  a  participacion, 
And  praieth  oure  lorde  for  my  saluacyon. 

PRAYER  TO   ST.   ELENE 

20.  (B  a  I  c  6)  MS.  in  York  Minster  Library. 

Seint  elene,  j  f>e  pray 

To  helpe  me  at  my  last  day 

To  sette  J>e  crosse  and  his  passione 

Betwix  my  synfull  saule  and  dome ; 

Now,  and  in  f>e  houre  of  my  dede, 

And  bring  my  saule  to  requied. 

DEUS   IN   NOMINE   TUO    SALUUilf  ME   FAC 

21.  (B  a  I  c  7)  Cotton  Calig.  A.  n. 

fol.  64       God  in  thy  name  make  me  safe  and  sounde, 
And  in  thi  vertu  me  deme  &  Justine ; 
And  as  my  leche  sarch  vn  to  the  grounde 
That  in  my  soule  ys  seke,  and  rectifie ; 
To  haue  medicine  afore  thi  dome  y  crye, 
Wherfore  of  endeles  mercy  ay  &  grace, 
That  y  desposed  be  vch  day  to  dye, 
And  so  to  mende  whylle  y  haue  tyme  &  space. 


73 


God,  graciously  here  thou  my  pray  ere, 

The  wordes  of  my  mouth  with  ere  perceyue ;  10 

And  as  thou  on  the  rode  hast  bought  me  dere, 

To  make  me  able  thi  mercy  to  receyue, 

Yf  that  the  fende  with  frawde  wolde  me  deceyue, 

In  thi  ryght  syde  ther  be  my  restyng  place, 

Wher  ys  my  comfort,  as  y  clere  conceyue,  15 

Whych  may  me  mende  whille  y  haue  tyme  &  space. 

For  alienes,  lord,  haue  ryse  a  gaynes  me, 

And  peple  stronge  my  sely  soule  haue  sought ; 

But  for  they  purpose  not  to  loke  on  the, 

Gramarcy,  lord,  hir  malyce  greueth  nought.  20 

Thi  passiouw  be  empraited  in  my  thought, 

The  chefe  resort  my  fleschly  foo  to  chase ; 

On  hit  to  be  remembred  welle  y  aught, 

Which  may  me  mende  why  lie  y  haue  tyme  &  space. 

Be  hold  for  soth,  pat  god  hath  holpen  me,  25 

And  of  my  soule  our  lord  ys  vp  taker. 

Wher  y  was  thralle,  lord,  thou  hast  made  me  fre. 

Whom  shalle  y  thank  bot  the,  my  god,  my  maker  ? 

When  y  shalle  slepe,  my  keper  and  my  waker, 

In  eueri  perylle,  my  confort  and  my  grace,  30 

For  of  the  synfulle  art  thou  not  forsaker, 

That  wylle  amende  whille  they  haue  tyme  &  space. 

Turne  euell  thynges  vnto  my  mortalle  fon, 
And  in  thi  treuth  dispytt  hem  and  spylle, 
So  that  they  be  co-founded  euerychone,  35 

That  wolde  me  stere  to  dysobaye  thi  wylle. 
The  dewe  of  loue  and  drede  on  me  distylk, 
Thatt  dedely  synne  ne  do  me  not  deface, 
fol.  65        That  y  thi  hestys  fayle  not  to  fulfylle, 

Whech  may  me  mende  why  lie  y  haue  tyme  &  space.  40 


74 


I  shalle  do  to  the  wylfulle  sacrifice, 

And  knoulech  to  thi  name,  for  it  is  good ; 

Alle  oder  worldely  weele  y  wylle  dispice, 

That  floweth  oft  and  ebbeth  as  the  floode. 

Thy  blessed  body,  sacred  flesh  and  blode,  45 

With  alle  my  hert  beseche  y  euer  of  grace, 

Hit  to  receyue  in  clennes  for  my  foode ; 

hit  may  me  mende  whille  y  haue  tyme  &  space. 

For  fro  alle  trouble  thou  hast  delyuered  me, 

And  on  enmyes  myne  eye  hath  had  despite ;  50 

Wher  fore  y  Wylle  perseuer  alle  day  with  the, 

In  fulle  entent  that  kyndenesse  for  to  quite, 

And,  that  y  may  performe  thus  my  delite, 

Salve  me,  Lorde  of  mercye  and  full  of  grace, 

That  neuer  the  fende  me  finde  oder  plite,  55 

But  euer  to  mende  whille  y  haue  tyme  &  space. 

Joye  to  the  fader,  fulle  of  grace  &  might, 
Whos  hye  powere  alle  thyngis  may  preserue ; 
Joye  to  the  sone,  that  in  a  [holy]  virgyn  lyght, 
And  for  oure  gylt  vpon  a  cros  wold  sterue ;  60 

Joye  to  the  holy  gost  that  doth  conserue 
Oure  clere  conceyte  by  confort  of  his  grace  ; 
A  blessed  trinite  welle  owe  we  to  reserue, 
Luynge  to  the  whille  we  haue  tyme  &  space. 

That  ys  and  was  with  owte  begywnyng,  65 

Thre  in  00  substaunce,  hye  god  in  cowmbtable, 
With  owte  ende  eternalle  enduryng, 
Alle  myghty,  ryghtwys  and  mercyable ; 
Gracious  to  alle  cowtrite  and  comfortable ; 
Both  lord  and  leche  to  alle  lust  haue  grace,  70 

Wyth  oyle  of  mercy  to  mescheue  medcynable, 
Hele  alle  hut  of  synne  with  tyme  and  space. 
Explicit. 


75 


IHESU,   MERCY  FOR   MY  MYSDEDE ! 

A  deuoyt  Meditacione 

22.  (B  a  II  a  i)        Trin.  Coll.  Cambridge,  B.  10,  12. 

Ihesu,  mercy !  mercy,  I  cry  : 

myn  vgly  synnes  j?ou  me  forgyfe. 
j>e  werlde,  my  flesch,  pe  fende,  felly 

J>ai  me  besale  both  strange  &  styfe ; 
I  hafe  ful  oft  to  Jmirn  consent,  5 

&  so  to  do  it  is  gret  drede ; 
I  ask  mercy  with  gud  entent ; 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  mysdede ! 

pe  werlde  thurgh  his  fals  couetyse, 

pe  fende  with  pryde,  wreth,  ire,  envy,  10 

I  hafe,  ihesu,  bene  fylde  oft  sythys, 

my  flesche  with  slewth  &  lychery, 
And  of>ere  many  ful  gret  synnes ; 

with  repentance,  ihesu,  me  fede, 
for  euere  my  tyme  opon  me  rynnes :  15 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse-dede  ! 

Turne  not  pi  face,  ihesu,  fro  me, 

f>of  I  be  werst  in  my  lyfynge ; 
I  ask  mekely  mercy  of  pe, 

for  pi  mercy  passes  al  thynge.  20 

In  j?i  fyue  woundes  j>ou  sett  my  hert, 

fat  for  mankynde  on  rode  walde  blede, 
&  for  J?i  dede  vgly  &  smert, 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  [my]  myse-dede ! 

To  jri  lyknes  fou  has  me  made ;  25 

pe  for  to  luf e  }?ou  gyfe  me  grace ; 
J?ou  art  pe  lufe  fat  neuere  sal  fade ; 

mercy  I  ask  whils  I  hafe  space. 


76 


I  tryst  ihesu  of  forgyfnes 

of  al  my  synnes,  pat  is  my  crede ;  30 

I  me  betake  to  pi  gudnes ; 

ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede ! 

Als  touchande  grace,  bot  ask  &  hafe : 

pus  has  pou  het  in  pi  beheste, 
par  for  sum  grace  on  pe  I  crafe ;  35 

with  outen  grace  I  am  bot  beste, 
&  warre  pan  beste  defyled  with  syne ; 

pou  graunt  pat  grace  may  in  me  brede, 
pat  y  pi  lufe,  ihesu,  myyt  wynn  : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede  !  40 

Al  worldely  lufe  is  vanite ; 

bot  lufe  of  pe  passes  al  thynge. 
par  is  no  lufe  with  outen  pe ; 

&  pe  to  lufe  I  aske  syghynge. 
Ihesu,  me  graunt  lufe  pe  forthy,  45 

&  in  pi  law,  ihesu,  me  lede. 
pat  I  myslufede,  I  aske  mercy  : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  mysdede ! 

It  is  of  pe  for  to  forgyfe 

alkyn  tryspas  both  more  &  mynn  ;  50 

It  is  of  me,  whyls  I  here  lyfe, 

or  more  or  lesse  ilke  day  to  synne, 
And  of  pe  fende  to  duell  per  in : 

pou  gyfe  me  grace  to  take  gud  hede 
pat  I  pi  lufe,  ihesu,  myght  wynne  !  55 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede ! 

Dispyce  me  no^t,  swete  lorde  ihesu, 

I  am  pe  warke  of  pin  aghen  hende, 
pof  I  hafe  bene  to  pe  vntrew ; 

Ihesu,  pou  kan  me  sone  amende ;  60 


77 


f>ou  has  me  made  to  ]>i  lyknes, 

thurgh  synne  I  hafe  loste  heuenly  mede ; 

Now,  lorde,  I  aske  of  J>i  gudenes, 
Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede ! 

J?ow  walde  be  borne  for  synful  man,  65 

for  syn  J>ou  take  no  wreke  on  me. 
My  comforth  be  J>i  harde  passione ; 

Ihesu,  J?er  of  hafe  I  gret  nede ; 
For  synne  j?ou  graunt  me  contrycione : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  mysdede !  70 

After  my  dedes  J>ou  deme  me  no^t ; 

after  mercy  J>ou  do  to  me ; 
If  f>ou  me  deme  als  I  hafe  wroght, 

in  bytter  payns  I  drede  to  be. 
My  lyfe  to  mende,  &  hafe  mercy,  75 

My  lorde  ihesu,  J>ou  be  my  spede, 
luf  J>e,  &  drede,  {>at  syttis  on  hy : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede ! 

If  I  had  done  ilke  cursed  warke, 

&  alken  synnes  wer  wro^t  in  me,  80 

pou  may  )>aim  sleke,  als  is  a  sparke 

when  it  is  put  in  myddes  J>e  see ; 
&  )>ar  may  no  man  sleke  my  myse 

bot  fou,  ihesu,  of  f>i  godhede ; 
when  f>ou  wouchesafe,  )?ou  sone  forgyfese :  85 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  mysdede  ! 

Who  sal  j>e  loue  in  fynyal  blyse 

bot  trow  mankynde  &  angels  f re  ? 
Myne  heretage  forsoth  )>at  is : 

thurgh  gude  lyfeynge  &  grace  of  \>e,  90 


78 


fou  me  restore  vnto  fat  blyse ; 

beholde  frelete  of  my  manhede 
fat  makes  me  oft  to  do  of  myse : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede  ! 

po[u]  wil  no  dede  of  synful  man :  95 

f  us  says  fou,  lorde,  in  haly  wryt ; 
Ful  wele  wote  fou  coueytis  fan 

he  turne  his  lyf e  &  sone  mende  it : 
fou  gyfe  me  grace  my  lyfe  to  mende, 

beswylede  in  synn  als  wyckede  wede ;  100 

graunt  me  f  i  lufe  with  outen  ende : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede  ! 

pow  art  my  god,  I  f  e  honour ; 

fou  art  f e  sone  of  maydyn  &  moder, 
In  my  dysese  fou  me  succure,  105 

fou  art  my  lorde,  fou  art  my  brother ; 
fou  sal  me  deme,  my  cryatour, 

when  vp  sal  ryse  euere  ilke  a  lede. 
Mercy,  ihesu,  my  sauyour ! 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede  !  no 

pou  helpe  me,  lorde,  in  my  dysese, 

fat  walde  susan  helpe  in  hir  tyme ; 
Ful  gret  clamour  fan  gon  fou  pese 

when  scho  acusede  was  of  crime, 
fou  sett  my  saule,  myn  hert,  in  ese,  115 

f e  fende  to  flee  &  his  falshede, 
&  soferandely  f e  for  to  plese  : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  mysedede ! 

In  my  baptym  I  mayde  beheste 

f e  for  to  serue  lelely  &  wele ;  iao 

Of  f i  seruyse  oft  hafe  I  seste, 

with  synnes  thowsandes  serued  vnsele ; 


79 


Bot  pi  mercy  nedes  moste  be  sene 

per  moste  synn  is  &  wyckededede ; 
pe  moste  synful  I  am,  I  wene ;  125 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede  ! 

For  synful  man  walde  fou  be  borne ; 

for  ryghtwys  not  fou  wil  recorde ; 
when  man  had  synnede,  he  was  forlorne, 

&  fan  him  kyndely  f  ou  restorde ;  130 

f  ou  sufferde  paynes  coronde  with  thorne, 

nakede  with  outen  clath  or  schrede, 
with  mykel  sorue  f  i  body  torne : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  mysedede  ! 

pou  art  my  hope,  my  way  ful  sure,  135 

ay  lastande  hele,  both  streng[t]h  &  pese ; 
f  ou  art  pyte  fat  ay  sal  dure ; 

f  ou  art  gudenes  fat  neuer  sal  sese ; 
f  ou  art  clennes,  both  mylde  &  mure ; 

me  f  e  displese,  ihesu,  for  bede,  140 

Als  f  ou  was  borne  of  virgyne  pure : 

ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede ! 

pou  byddes  ilke  man  ^elde  gud  for  ille, 

not  il  for  il  to  ^elde  agayne ; 
fan  I  beseke  fe  fat  fou  wil  145 

graunt  me  mercy  in  stede  of  payne ! 
fou  me  forgyfe,  &  mercy  graunt, 

&  in  my  saule  fou  sawe  pi  sede, 
fat  I  may,  lorde,  make  myne  auaunt : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede  !  150 

Bot,  worthy  lorde,  to  pe  I  cry, 

&  I  in  syne  stande  obstynate ; 
f  arfore  fou  heres  no^t  me  for  thy, 

fou  will  no?t  here  me  in  fat  state. 


80 

)?ou  gyfe  me  grace  lefe  my  foly,  i55 

&  fe[r]uently  pe  lufe  &  drede, 
j>an  wate  I  wele  I  get  mercy : 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede ! 

Noght  euere-ilke  man  £>at  cales  pe  lorde, 

or  mercy  askes,  sal  hafe  J>i  blise,  160 

his  conscience  bot  he  remorde, 

&  wirke  pi  wil,  &  mende  his  lyfe. 
To  blyse  sal  I  sone  be  restorede, 

if  I  my  saule  fusgates  wil  f ede ; 
Of  pi  mercy  late  me  recorde  :  165 

ihesu,  mercy  for  my  mysedede  ! 

I  me  betake  to  (>i  mercy 

fat  mercy  gyff es  to  synf ul  men ; 
f>ou  kepe  me,  lorde,  for  I  sal  dye, 

&  wot  neuere  whore,  ne  how,  ne  when.  170 

In  )?i  hote  lufe  me  graunt  to  brene, 

&  fat  lesson  trewly  to  rede ; 
Mercy  fou  graunt !   amen  !   amen  ! 

Ihesu,  mercy  for  my  myse  dede !     Amen. 

AN    ORISOUN    TO    VR    LORD    IHESU 

23.  (B  a  II  a  2)  Vernon  MS. 

Lord,  Swete  Ihesu  crist :  Haue  Merci  of  me, 
pat  out  of  heuene  come :  In  to  eorfe  for  me, 
And  of  pe  Mayden  Marie :   Boren  were  for  me, 
And  on  pe  cros  suffredest :  Bitter  dej?  for  me. 

Of  Merci  I  pe  bi-seche  :  pat  mest  of  mihtes  may,  5 

Swete  Ihesu  my  cumfort :   Mi  solas  and  my  play ; 
Of  alle  vices  me  deliuere  :  And  of  pruide,  I  pe  pray, 
pat  I  may  pe  louen  as  lord :  And  knowen  for  God  verray. 


81 

fful  muchel  ouhte  i  f  e  to  louen :  In  stable  treuf  e  and  fay, 
Whon  f  ou  were  god  &  art :  And  schalt  ben  euere  and  ay,     io- 
Com  in  to  eorf  e  for  my  loue  :  To  take  my  kuynde  of  clay, 
In  f  e  world  to  wynne  vs  wele  :  pou  suffredest  men  worchen  f  e 
way. 

In  f  e  werld,  as  I  seide  er :  In  bodi,  fflesch  and  Bon, 
Hunger  and  ffurst  heddestou  bof  e :  In  hot  and  Cold  to  gon, 
Blod  and  watur  f  ou  swattest  bof  e  :  And  Teres  Mony  on,      15 
And  sef  f  hen  for  f  e  loue  of  vs :  pi  def  fen  hastou  tan. 

fful  hard  and  deolful  was  f  i  def :  Hose  hedde  hit  in  fount, 
Whon  fat  f  i  blessede  bodi :  pat  neuere  no  sunne  wrouht, 
Among  f  is  false  Iewes :  pi-seluen  hast  hit  brouht, 
And  sef fen  wif  f  i  blessed  blod :  ffrom  bale  f  ou  hast  us  bouht.  20 

A  Croune  of  f  ornes  vppon  fin  hed  :  pei  setten  scharp  and 
fresch, 
Heo  f  e  nayleden  hondes  and  feet :  Bof  e  f  orwh  bon  and  rlesch ; 
A  spere  f  orwh  f  i  syde  stong :  pyn  herte  was  ful  nesch, 
Whon  f  e  blod  and  watur  sprong  :  pat  vs  of  synne  wesch. 

perfore,  Ihesu,  I  preye  pe :  pat  ful  art  of  pite,  25 

ffor  my  sunnes  J>at  ichaue  don  :  Let  me  neuere  dampned  be  ; 
But  graunte  me  grace  in  to  myn  herte :   Ihesu  in  Trinite, 
Of  stable  treuf>e  and  rihtwys  werkes :  Loue  and  Charite. 

fful  ofte  ichaue  pe  wraf>J>ed  :  And  broke  }>i  Comaundement, 
Wif>  al  my  fyue  wittes  :  In  lyf  fat  p ou  me  hast  lent,  30 

Vnwisliche  hem  dispendet :  And  not  in  good  entent, 
Bofe  forwh  myn  owne  wille  :  And  of ure  entisement. 

Bote,  swete  Ihesu,  woltou  me  here :   wif  schrift  ichaue  f  e 
souht ; 
In  mony  werkes,  as  I  seide  ere :  Vuele  ichaue  I-wrouht, 

G 


82 


Non  of  hem  schal  ben  vnpunissched — :  peron  is  al  my  fount ;  35 
I  take  me  al  to  pi  Merci :  ffor  loue  for-^et  me  nouht. 

Wif>  Mylde  mod  and  sikyng  sore :  I  be-seche  pe 
ffor  my  ffrendes,  Ihesu  crist :  As  well  as  for  me. 
On  domes-dai  whon  f>ou  schalt  demen  :  Scheuh  us  pi  face  freo, 
And  bring  vs  in  to  paradys  :  per  endeles  blisse  schal  beo.    Amen . 

IHESU    CRISTE,    HAUE    MERCY    ONE    ME 

24.  (B  a  II  a  3)  Thornton  MS. 

Ihesu  Criste,  haue  mercy  one  me, 

Als  f>ou  erte  kynge  of  mageste, 

And  forgiffe  me  my  synnes  all 

j>at  I  hafe  donne  bathe  grete  and  small, 

And  brynge  me,  if  it  be  thi  will,  5 

Till  heuene  to  wonne  ay  with  pe  styll.     Amen. 

HER    BIGINNEp    AN    ORISUN     OF    pE    TRINITE 

25.  (Ball  a  4)  Vernon  MS. 

Fadur  and  Sone  and  Holigost, 

Lord,  to  pe  I  crie  and  calle, 

Studefast  god  of  mihtes  most, 

My  sunful  lyf  is  steken  in  stalle : 

I  preye  pe,  lord,  ]?at  J>ou  pe  haste,  5 

Me  to  helpe,  J>at  I  ne  falle, 

And  mak  my  soule  clene  and  chaste 

Of  dedly  sunnes  and  vueles  alle. 

Lord,  haue  Merci  of  my  synne, 

And  bring  me  out  of  al  my  care ;  10 

Euele  to  do  wol  I  nou  blynne. 

I  haue  I-wrouht  a^eynes  Jn  lawe : 


83 


pou  rewe  of  me  [bof  e]  out  and  Inne, 

And  hele  me  of  my  woundes  sare ; 

Lord,  fat  al  jris  world  schal  winne,  15 

Hele  me  ar  i  fonde  and  fare. 

Fadur  in  heuene  fat  wel  may, 

I  preye  f  e,  lord,  fat  f  ou  me  lede 

In  rihte  weyes  of  stable  fay ; 

At  myn  endynge  whon  I  haue  drede,  20 

pi  grace  ich  aske  [bof  e]  niht  and  day, 

And  ^if  me  merci  of  my  misdede. 

Of  myn  askyng  sei  not  nay, 

But  help  me,  lord,  at  al  my  nede. 

Swete  Ihesu,  for  me  was  boren,  25 

pou  here  my  preyere  loud  and  stille, 

ffor  pyne  fat  me  is  leid  bi-foren 

Ofte  i  sike  and  wepe  my  fille. 

Ofte  so  haue  I  ben  for-sworen 

Whon  I  haue  don  a^eynes  f  i  wille,  30 

Suffre  neuere  fat  I  beo  loren, 

Lord,  for  myne  dedes  ille. 

pe  holygost,  i  preye  to  f  e 

Niht  and  day  in  good  entent, 

Of  al  my  serwe  cumforte  me,  35 

pin  holi  grace  f  ou  me  sent, 

And  schild  me,  ^if  f  i  wille  be, 

ffrom  dedly  sunne,  fat  I  ne  beo  schent, 

ffor  Marie  loue,  fat  Maiden  fre, 

In  whom  f  ou  lihtest,  verreyment.  40 

I  preye  f  e,  ladi  Meoke  and  mylde, 
pat  f ou  preye  for  my  misdede, 
ffor  [f e]  loue  of  f i  swete  childe, 
As  f  ou  him  sauh  on  Rode  blede. 


84 


Euer^ite  haue  I  ben  wylde,  45 

Mi  sunfol  soule  is  euere  in  drede : 

Merci,  ladi,  pou  me  schilde, 

And  helpe  me  euere  at  al  myn  nede. 

Merci,  Marie,  Mayden  clene ! 

pou  let  me  neuere  In  sunne  dwelle,  50 

Preye  for  me  pat  hit  beo  sene, 

And  schild  me  from  pe  pyne  of  helle. 

ffor  certes,  ladi,  riht  wel  i  wene 

pat  al  my  fomen  mai^t  pou  felle. 

ffor-pi  my  serwe  to  pe  I  mene,  55 

Wip  ferful  mod  my  tale  i  telle. 

Bi-penk  pe,  ladi,  euere  and  ay 

Of  alle  wimmen  pou  berest  pe  flour : 

ffor  sunfol  mon,  as  I  pe  say, 

God  hap  don  pe  gret  honour.  60 

Receyue  my  preyere  niht  and  day, 

Whon  I  pe  be-seche  in  eny  a  Our ; 

Help  me,  ladi,  so  wel  pou  may, 

Me  bi-houep  pou  beo  my  counseilour. 

Off  counseil,  ladi,  i  preye  to  pe  65 

Niht  and  day,  in  wele  and  wo ; 

Of  al  my  serwe  cumforte  me, 

And  beo  my  scheld  a^eynes  my  fo. 

ffor,  certes,  )ii  pi  wille  hit  be, 

Al  my  fo-men  mai^t  pou  slo.  70 

Help  me,  ladi  hende  and  fre, 

pou  take  pat  pe  is  fallen  fro. 

At  myn  endynge  pou  stonde  bi  me 

Whon  I  schal  henne  fonden  and  fare, 

Whon  pat  I  quake  and  dredful  be,  75 

And  al  my  sunnus  I  rewe  hem  sare. 


85 

As  euere  myn  hope  haf  ben  in  f  e, 

penk  f  eron,  ladi,  and  help  me  fare, 

ffor  [f  e]  loue  of  fat  swete  tre 

pat  Ihesu  spradde  [on]  his  bodi  bare.  80 

Ihesu,  for  fat  ille  stounde 

pat  f  ou  woldest  on  Rode  blede, 

At  myn  endynge  whon  I  schal  founde 

pou  haue  merci  of  my  misdede, 

And  hele  me  of  my  dedlich  wounde,  85 

And  help  me  in  fat  muchele  nede ; 

Whon  def  me  takef  and  bringef  me  to  grounde, 

pen  schal  i,  lord,  f  i  domes  drede. 

Lord,  for  my  sunnes  to  do  penaunce, 

ffor  my  dedes  f  ou  graunte  hit  me  90 

A  space  of  verrey  Repentaunce 

In  serwe  of  herte,  I  preye  to  f  e. 

In  f  i  merci  is  myn  aff yaunce ; 

Of  my  folye  f  ou  haue  pite, 

pat  fou  of  me  ne  take  veniaunce,  95 

Lord,  for  fi  benignite. 

Lord,  as  f  ow  art  ful  of  miht, 

And  as  fou  alle  fringes  wost 

My  lyf  amende,  my  dedes  riht, 

ffor  mari  loue  fat  maiden  chost,  100 

And  bringe  me  sone  in  to  fat  liht 

Wif-outen  ende  per  ioye  is  most, 

On  pe  to  seo  fat  swete  siht, 

ffadur  and  Sone  and  Holigost.     Amen. 

DO    MERCY    TO    FORE    THI    JUGEMENT 

26.  (B  a  II  a  5)  Harl.  MS.  1704. 

fol.  26        There  is  no  creature  but  one, 
Maker  of  Alle  creaturs, 


86 

One  god  And  euer  one, 

iii  in  one  alk  waye  endures. 

To  thatt  lord  we  make  oure  mone  5 

In  whom  is  alle  comfort  And  cure ; 

To  thenk  howe  freel  we  be  euerychone ! 

This  world  is  but  hard  Aventure ! 

For  who  so  most  ys  in  assure 

Sonnest  is  slayne  And  shent.  10 

Whan  thou  this  world  wit/?  fyre  shalt  pure, 

do  mercy  to  fore  thy  jugement. 

We  aske  mercy  or  thou  deme, 
lest  thou  dampne  pat  J>ou  hast  wrought. 
What  joy  were  it  the  deville  to  queme  15 

to  yef  hym  thatt  f>u  hast  bought  ? 
fol.  27        And  of  thy  sight  thou  vs  flome, 
We  are  but  lost  right  as  nought. 
Nowe  make  us  like  such  as  we  seme, 
In  loue  And  drede  thou  sett  our  fought.  20 

ffor  synne  hath  us  so  forowgh  sought 
There  is  no  trust  in  oure  entent ; 
Yn  to  Acounte  or  we  be  brought, 
do  mercy  tofore  thy  jugement. 

We  aske  mercy  of  rightnesnesse,  25 

ffor  J>y  behests  alle  be  right ; 

And  of  thyn  owne  kyndnesse 

Saue  yt  pat  pu.  hast  yeue  vs  of  thy  might. 

This  world  is  but  likerous  bittmiesse 

That  reueth  vs  discrescion  And  sight ;  30 

The  fende,  the  flesche,  fyght  Ayen  vs : 

Thus  we  be  take  in  turment. 

Lorde,  or  thy  dome  be  dight  to  vs 

do  mercy  to  fore  thy  jugement. 


87 

Thou  hast  bede  vs  aske  And  haue ;  35 

That  yeuyth  vs  comfort  for  to  calk  ; 

and  thou  hast  ordeygned  mane  to  saue, 

mercy  A  boue  thy  workes  alle. 

Also  thyn  hert  blood  thou  for  vs  gaf , 

make  vs  fre  f>at  erst  were  thralle.  40 

let  neuer  the  deuelle  with  sorow  depraue 

That  wsischen  was  in  holy  welle. 

Oure  flesche  is  freel  that  makyth  vs  f alle ; 

With  grace  we  rise  And  shulle  repent, 

And  thus  we  hope  j>at  we  haue  shalle  45 

Mercy  A  fore  thy  jugement. 

We  aske  mercy  of  all  thyng, 
and  thou  Art  kynde  in  every  degre : 
pon  yaf  vs  with  stonys  beyng, 
fol.  27°      And  with  thy  sprite  endued  vs  f[ree] ;  50 

With  trees  thou  yaf  vs  growing, 
With  bestis  felyng  lyf  haue  we, 
With  Aungelks  vnderstondyng, 
With  byleue  wedded  vn  to  the, 
And  with  thy  blode  bought  we  be ;  55 

Yet  be  we  fals  And  necligent 
That  we  mowe  neuer  clymuie  ne  tie 
Thy  mercy  in  thy  jugement. 

Wherefore  oure  soulis  And  oure  lyfl 

in  to  thyn  handys  we  betake  60 

Oute  of  temptacouw  And  stryf 

To  saue  vs  when  we  slepe  or  wake. 

Now  Jhesu,  for  thy  woundys  v, 

And  also  for  thy  moder  sake, 

The  deuyl  Away  fro  vs  thou  dryue  65 

When  deth  shall  his  maistres  make. 


b 


88 


Thou  saidest  thou  woldest  not  vs  forsake, 

When  thou  on  the  rood  were  rent. 

Ayen  thy  dome  we  crie  And  quake, 

Do  mercy  to  fore  thy  jugement.  70 

And  yef  thou  deme  vs  rightnesly, 
yiff  mercy  the  execusion ; 
Alle  though  we  haue  seruyd  j?e  vnkyndely, 
Take  hede  to  oure  entencouw. 
We  yelde  vs  synfulle  And  sory  75 

With  knowlich  And  contricouw ; 
Oure  bapteme  And  thy  mercy 
We  take  to  oure  proteccion. 
Byleue  is  oure  saluacouw 

By  lawe  of  thy  Cowmaundement.  80 

Now,  crist,  put  alle  thy  passion 
Be  twyye  vs  And  thy  jugement. 
Amen. 


IESU    CRIST,    HEOUENE    KYNG 

27.  (B  a  II  a  6)  Harl.  MS.  2253,  fol.  75,  b. 

Iesu  crist,  heouene  kyng, 
^ef  vs  alle  god  endyng, 

fat  bone  biddef  J?e ; 
at  J>e  biginnyng  of  mi  song ; 
iesu,  y  f>e  preye  among,  5 

In  stude  aiwher  y  be  ; 
ffor  )>ou  art  kyng  of  alle, 
to  fe  y  clepie  ant  calle, 

f>ou  haue  merci  of  me  ! 

pis  enderday  in  o  morewenyng,  10 

wi)>  dreri  herte  ant  gret  mournyng 


89 

on  mi  folie  y  pohte ; 
one  pat  is  so  suete  a  ping, 
pat  ber  iesse,  pe  heuene  kyng, 

merci  y  besohte.  15 

iesu,  for  pi  muchele  myht 

pou  graunte  vs  alle  heuene  lyht, 

pat  vs  so  duere  bohtes ; 
for  pi  merci,  iesu  suete, 
pin  hondy  werk  nult  pou  lete,  20 

fat  pou  wel  ^erne  sohtes. 

Wei  ichot,  ant  sop  hit  ys, 
pat  in  pis  world  nys  no  blys, 

bote  care,  serewe,  &  pyne ; 
pare  fore  ich  rede,  we  wurchen  so,  25 

pat  we  mowe  come  to 

pe  ioye  wip  oute  fyne. 

TO    THE,    MAIST    PEIRLAS    PRINCE    OF    PECE 

28.  (B  a  II  a  7)        Gray  MS.,  Advocates'  Library,  fol.  77-79. 

To  the,  maist  peirlas  prince  of  pece, 

With  all  my  power  I  the  pray, 

Let  neuir  thi  micht  be  merciles 

Til  man  that  thou  has  maid  of  clay. 

Oure  kynd  is  brukle,  that  is  no  nay,  5 

And  euir  has  bene  sen  thou  maid  ws ; 

Thairfore  we  nedis  baith  nycht  and  day 

Of  miserere  met,  Deus. 

We  that  ar  heir  baith  fair  and  fresch 

Sail  fallou  and  faid  /  as  dois  a  flour,  10 

And  all  delitis  of  mannis  flesch 

Sail  failye  in  less  /  than  half  ane  hour ; 


90 


Baith  kyng  and  knicht  and  conquerour. 

Dreid  of  fra  this  blis  mon  bus 

And  be  fulfane  to  seke  succour  15 

At  miserere  mei,  Deus. 

Quhen  we  ar  deid,  and  dollin  deip, 

And  grene  gress  growis  abone  our  brawn, 

Quhat  helpis  than  to  wawill  or  weip  ? 

Til  this  lif  cum  we  neuir  agane,  20 

Bot  also  smal  as  droppis  of  rane 

Wan  wormy s  so  schill  sail  all  to  schow  ws, 

And  thak  it  is  to  lait  to  sayn, 

Lord,  miserere  mei,  Deus. 

Quhy  lufe  we  than  that  ilk  life  25 

That  so  litill  quhile  will  lest, 

Sen  fathir  and  mothir,  brothir  and  wife 

And  kyn  and  barnis  /  that  we  luf  best, 

Fra  deid  naff  drawin  ws  till  his  nest. 

Thai  ar  full  fane  to  fie  fra  ws  ?  30 

And  than  we  think  moist  treuthfull  trest 

To  miserere  mei,  Deus. 

Heirfore  me  think  suld  dredand  be 

Man  and  woman  and  euery  wicht ; 

It  is  na  dowt  /  we  mon  all  dee  35 

For  ilk  wy  a  deid  is  dicht. 

Quhat  furtheris  it  with  him  to  fecht 

Sen  fra  him  /  is  nane  that  chowus, 

Prince  no  paip,  my  treuth  I  plicht, 

But  miserere  mei,  Deus?  40 

Than  helpis  it  nocht  with  him  to  strife 
Aganis  our  dede  /  that  we  may  dreid 
That  lichtly  may  sone  downe  drif 
This  wrechit  warld  of  lynth  and  breid. 


91 


Ther  is  no  money  na  no  meid  45 

With  him  may  hauld  a  day  of  trewus, 
Bot  gif  we  faynd  to  speke  and  speid 
With  miserere  mei,  Deus. 

For  mercy  maid  our  makir  hevin ; 

Mary  consawit  throw  gabriell  stevin ;  50 

The  suthfast  god  deit  on  rude, 

With  spere  and  nalis  he  bled  his  blude, 

The  gretast  grace  /  that  euir  yet  grew  ws ; 

Therfor  me  think  moist  faithfull  fude 

Is  miserere  mei,  Deus.  55 

Now  crist,  that  confortis  all  mankynd, 

Thou  lat  thi  pece  spred  and  spring. 

Oute  of  this  warld,  quhen  we  sail  wend 

Sa  that  na  feynd  to  pane  ws  bring, 

Bot  haif  in  mynd  this  foresaid  thing ;  60 

Jhesu  nazareth,  king  of  jewis, 

And  heir  ws  quhen  we  reid  or  syng 

Of  miserere  mei,  Deus. 

Explicit. 


HAIL,  MARY! 

29.  (B  a  II  b  1)  Digby  MS.  2,  leaf  6. 

Hayl,  mari !  hie  am  sori : 
haf  pite  of  me,  and  merci ! 
mi  leuedi,  to  pe  i  cri : 
for  mi  sinnis,  dred  ham  hi, 
wen  hi  {>enke  hat  hi  sal  bi, 

J>at  hi  haf  mis  hi-don 
in  worde,  in  worke,  in  J?oith,  foli 

leuedi,  her  mi  bon  ! 


92 


Mi  bon  f  u  her,  leuedi  der, 

fat  hie  aske  wit  reuful  cher !  10 

f  u  len  me  her,  wil  hie  am  fer, 

do  penanx  in  mi  praier ; 

ne  let  me  noth  ler,  fat  f  u  ber, 

at  mi  nendin  day ; 
f  e  worlais,  f  ai  wil  be  her,  15 

fort[to]  take  fair  pray. 

To  take  far  pray,  alse  hi  her  say 

f ai  er  redi,  boyt  nite  and  day ; 

so  strange  er  f ai,  fat  we  ne  may 

A-gaynis  f  aim  stond,  so  way  la  way,  20 

but  f u  gif  helpus,  mitteful  may, 

Wit  f  i  sunes  grace ; 
Wan  f  u  comes,  f  ai  flet  a-wai ; 

dar  f  ai  not  se  f i  face. 

f i  face  to  se,  f u  grant  hit  me,  25 

lefdi  ful-fillid  of  pite, 

fat  hi  may  be  in  Ioy  wit  f e, 

to  se  f  i  sone  in  trinite, 

fat  sufferid  pine,  and  ded  for  me 

and  for  al  man-kyn :  30 

his  flesse  was  sprade  on  rode  tre, 

to  leysus  al  of  sine. 

Of  sine  and  kar,  he  maked  vs  bar, 

Wan  he  f  ollid  pines  sar ; 

to  drupe  and  dar,  we  athe  wel  mare,  35 

alse  for  f  e  hondis  doyt  f  e  har, 

wan  we  f  enke  hu  we  sal  far 

wan  he  sal  dem  vs  alle, 
we  sal  haf  ned[e  fan  &]  fare, 

a-pon  mari  to  calle,  &c.  40 


93 


HYMN  TO   THE  VIRGIN 

30.  (B  a  II  b  2)      MS.  54,  D.  5.  14,  in  Corpus  Christi  College,  Oxford. 

Edi  beo  jm,  heuene  quene, 

folkes  froure  &  engles  blis, 

moder  unwemmed  &  maiden  clene 

swich  in  world  non  ofer  nis. 

On  pe  hit  is  wel  ej?  sene,  5 

Of  alle  wimmen  f>u  hauest  f>et  pris. 

mi  swete  leuedi,  her  mi  bene, 

&  reu  of  me,  >if  }>i  wille  is. 

pu  aste^e  so  pe  dai^  re  we ; 

pe  deleS  from  [dai^]  pe  deorke  nicht.  10 

of  the  sprong  a  leome  newe 

fat  al  )>is  world  hauetS  ili^t. 

nis  non  maide  of  fine  heowe, 

swo  fair,  so  sschene,  so  rudi,  swo  bricht. 

swete  leuedi,  of  me  f>u  reowe,  15 

&  haue  merci  of  fin  knicht. 

Spronge  blostme  of  one  rote, 

f  e  holi  gost  f  e  reste  upon, 

f  et  wes  for  monkunnes  bote, 

&  heore  soule  to  alesen  for  on.  20 

Leuedi  milde,  softe  &  swote, 

Ic  crie  j>e  merci ;  ic  am  f  i  mon, 

bof  e  to  honde  &  to  fote, 

On  alle  wise  fat  ic  kon. 

pu  ert  eorf  e  to  gode  sede,  25 

on  f  e  li^te  f  e  heouene  deu^ ; 
of  f  e  sprong  f  eo  edi  blede, 
f  e  holi  gost  hire  on  f  e  seu^. 


94 


pu  bring  us  ut  of  kare,  of  drede 

pat  Eue  bitterliche  us  breu^ ;  30 

pu  sschalt  us  in  to  heouene  lede. 

welle  swete  is  pe  ilke  deu> ! 

Moder,  ful  of  pewes  hende, 

Maide  drerj  &  wel  itaucht, 

ic  em  in  fine  loue  bende,  35 

&  to  pe  is  al  mi  draucht. 

pu  me  sschild  ^e  from  pe  feonde, 

ase  pu  ert  freo,  &  wilt,  &  maucht. 

help  me  to  mi  Hues  ende, 

&  make  me  wi'5  pin  sone  isau^t.  40 

pu  ert  icumen  of  he^e  kunne, 

of  dauid  pe  riche  king ; 

nis  non  maiden  under  sunne 

j>e  mei  beo  pin  eueni[n]g. 

ne  pat  swo  derne  loui^e  kunne,  45 

ne  non  swo  swete  of  alle  ping. 

pu  bring  us  in  to  eche  wunne, 

i-hered  ibeo  pu  swete  ping ! 

Swetelic  ure  louerd  hit  di^te 

pat  pu  maide  wi$-ute  were,  50 

pat  al  pis  world  bicluppe  ne  mi>te 

pu  sscholdest  of  pin  boseme  bere. 

pe  ne  sti^te,  ne  pe  ne  pri^te, 

in  side,  in  lende,  ne  elles  where ; 

pat  wes  wi5  ful  muchel  ri>te,  55 

for  pu  bere  pine  helere. 

po  godes  sune  ali^te  wolde 

on  eorpe  al  for  ure  sake, 

herre  te^en  he  him  nolde 

pene  pat  maide  to  beon  his  make.  60 


95 


betere  ne  mi^te  he,  j?ai^  he  wolde, 
ne  swetture  ping  on  eorpe  take, 
leuedi,  bring  us  to  fine  bolde, 
&  sschild  us  from  helle  wrake.    Amen. 


AN   ORISON   OF   OUR  LADY 

31.  (B  a  II  b  3)      Cotton  MS.  Caligula  A  ix,  leaf  246. 

On  hire  is  al  mi  lif  ilong, 

Of  hwam  ich  wule  singe, 

And  herien  hire  per-among, 

Heo  gon  us  bote  bringe 

Of  helle  pine  fat  is  strong,  5 

Heo  brohte  us  blisse  J?at  is  long 

Al  }>urh  hire  chilSinge. 

Ich  bidde  hire  one  mi  song, 

Heo  ^eoue  us  god  endinge, 

pah  we  don  wrong.  10 

pu  art  hele  and  lif  and  liht, 

And  helpest  al  mon-kunne. 

pu  us  hauest  ful  wel  idi^t, 

pu  ^eue  us  weole  and  wunne ; 

pu  brohtest  dai,  and  eve  ni^t ;  15 

Heo  brohte  woht,  J>u  brohtest  ri^t ; 

pu  almesse  and  heo  sunne. 

Bi-sih  to  me,  lauedi  bri^t, 

Hwenne  ich  schal  wende  heonne, 

So  wel  pu  miht.  20 

Al  pis  world  schal  ago 
Wi5  seorhe  and  witS  sore, 
And  al  pis  lif  we  schule  for-go, 
Ne  of-punche  hit  us  so  sore. 


96 

pis  world  nis  butent  lire  ifo,  25 

par-fore  ich  J>enche  hirne  at-go, 

And  do  bi  godes  lore. 

pis  Hues  blisse  nis  wurS  a  slo ; 

Ich  bidde  god  pin  ore, 

Nu  and  euere-mo.  30 

To  longe  ich  habbe  sot  i-beo, 

Wei  sore  ich  me  adrede. 

Iluued  ich  habbe  gomen  and  gleo, 

And  prude  and  feire  wede. 

Al  fat  is  dweole  wel  i  seo,  35 

par-fore  ich  penche  sunne  rleo, 

And  alle  mine  sot  dede. 

Ich  bidde  hire  to  me  bi-seo, 

And  helpe  me  and  rede, 

pat  is  so  freo.  40 

Agult  ich  habbe,  weilawei ! 

Sunful  ich  am  an  wrecche. 

Awrec  J>e  nu  on  me,  leuedi, 

Er  de)>  me  honne  fecche. 

Do  nim  pe  wreche,  ich  am  redi ;  45 

Of>er  let  me  liuen  and  amendi, 

pat  no  feond  me  ne  drecche. 

For  mine  sunnes  ich  am  sori ; 

Of  pis  world  ich  ne  recche. 

Leuedi,  merci  1    Amen.  50 

A   SONG   TO   THE   VIRGIN 

32.  (B  a  II  b  4)  Egerton  MS.  613. 

Of  on  )>at  is  so  fayr  and  bri^t, 

velud  maris  Stella, 
Briber  pan  fe  day-is  li>t, 

parens  et  puella. 


97 

Ic  crie  to  pe,  j>ou  se  to  me.  5 

Leuedy,  preye  j?i  sone  for  me, 

tarn  pia, 
pat  ic  mote  come  to  pe, 

maria 

Of  kare  conseil  J>ou  ert  best.  10 

jelix  fecundata. 
Of  alle  wery  ]>o\i  ert  rest, 

mater  honorata. 
Bi-sek  him  wiz  milde  mod, 
pat  for  ous  alle  sad  is  blod  is 

in  cruce, 
pat  we  moten  komen  til  him    . 

In  luce. 

Al  )?is  world  was  for-lore, 

eua  peccatrice,  20 

Tyl  our  lord  was  y-bore. 

de  te  genitrice. 
With  aiie  it  went  a-way, 
puster  nyth  and  comet  pe  day 

salutis;  25 

pe  welle  springet  hut  of  pe 

uirtutis. 

Leuedi,  flour  of  alle  f>ing, 

rosa  sine  spina, 
pu  bere  ihesu  heuene  king,  30 

gratia  diuina. 
Of  alle  )>u  berst  pe  pris, 
Leuedi,  quene  of  parays, 

electa, 
Mayde  milde,  Moder  35 

es  efiecta. 


98 

Wei  he  wot  he  is  f  i  sone, 

uentre  quern  portasti. 
He  wyl  nout  werne  f  e  f  i  bone, 

paruum  quern  lactasti.  40 

So  hende  and  so  god  he  his ; 
He  hauet  brout  ous  to  blis 

superni, 
pat  hauez  hi-dut  f  e  foule  put 

inferni.  45 

Explicit  cantus  iste. 

NOU   SKRINKEp   ROSE   &  LYLIE   FLOUR 

33.  (B  a  II  b  5)  Had.  MS.  2253,  fol.  80,  a. 

Nou  skrinkef  rose  &  lylie  flour, 
fat  whilen  ber  fat  suete  sauour, 

in  somer,  fat  suete  tyde ; 
ne  is  no  quene  so  stark  ne  stour, 
ne  no  leuedy  so  bryht  in  bour,  5 

fat  ded  ne  shal  by  glyde. 
whose  wol  fleyshlust  forgon, 

&  heuene  blis  abyde, 
on  iesu  be  is  f  oht  anon, 

fat  f erled  was  ys  side.  10 

from  petres  bourh  in  o  morewenyng 
as  y  me  wende  omy  pley^yng, 

on  mi  folie  y  f ohte ; 
menen  y  gon  my  mournyng 
to  hire  fat  ber  f e  heuene  kyng,  15 

of  merci  hire  bysohte : 
Ledy,  preye  f i  sone  for  ous, 

fat  vs  duere  bohte, 
ant  shild  vs  from  f e  lof e  hous 

fat  to  f e  fend  is  wrohte.  20 


99 


myn  herte  of  dedes  wes  for  dred 
of  synne  J>at  y  haue  my  fleish  fed, 

ant  f olewed  al  my  tyme ; 
J?at  y  not  whider  i  shal  be  led, 
when  y  lygge  on  dej>es  bed,  25 

In  ioie  ore  in  to  pyne. 
on  a  ledy  myn  hope  is, 

moder  and  virgyne ; 
we  shulen  in  to  heuene  blis 

}>urh  hire  medicine.  30 

betere  is  hire  medycyn, 
pen  eny  mede  or  eny  wyn ; 

hire  erbes  smullef  suete ; 
from  catenas  in  to  dyuelyn 
nis  f>er  no  leche  so  fyn,  35 

oure  serewes  to  bete ; 
mon  J?at  ielep  eni  sor, 

&  his  folie  wol  lete, 
wif>  oute  gold  of>er  eny  tresor, 

he  mai  be  sound  ant  sete.  40 

of  penaunce  is  hir  piastre  al, 
ant  euer  seruen  hire  y  shal 

nou  &  al  my  lyue ; 
nou  is  fre  fat  er  wes  fral, 
al  fourh  J>at  leuedy  gent  &  smal ;  45 

heried  be  hyr  ioies  fyue  ! 
wher  so  eny  sek  ys, 

f>ider  hye  blyue ; 
furh  hire  beof  ybroht  to  blis 

bo  maiden  ant  wyue.  50 

for  he  f>at  dude  is  body  on  tre 
of  oure  sunnes  haue  piete, 

J?at  weldes  heouene  boures ! 
wymmon  wij?  jn  iolyfte, 


100 

fou  fench  on  godes  shoures ;  55 

fan  fou  be  whyt  &  bryht  on  ble, 

falewen  shule  fy  floures. 
Iesu,  haue  merci  of  vs, 

fat  al  fis  world  honoures. 

Amen.  60 

THE   BEST   SONG   AS   HIT   SEMETH   ME 

34.  (B  a  II  c  1)  Add.  MS.  5665. 

The  best  song  as  hit  semeth  me 
peccantem  me  cotidie. 

While  y  was  yong  and  hadde  carage 

I  wolde  play  with  grome  and  page, 

But  now  y  am  ffalle  in  to  age  5 

Timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

Yowthe  ys  now  ffro  me  agon, 
and  age  ys  come  me  vpon. 
Now  shall  y  say  and  pray  anon, 

parce  michi,  domine.  10 

I  pray  god  y  can  no  more ; 
foil  bozsteste  me  with  wondes  sore ; 
To  thy  mercy  thow  me  restore, 
saluum  me  fac,  domine. 

EVERE   MORE,   WHERE   SO   EUER  I   BE 

35.  (B  a  II  c  2)  Bodl.  MS.  Engl.  Poet.  e.  1. 

Evere  more,  where  so  euer  I  be 
The  dred  of  deth  do  troble  me. 

As  I  went  me  fore  to  solase, 
I  hard  a  mane  sygh[e]  &  sey  :  alase, 
Off  me  now  thus  stond  the  case,  5 

ye  dred  of  [deth  do  trobyll  me  !] 


101 

I  haue  be  lorde  of  towr  &  towne, 
I  sett  not  be  my  grett  renowne, 
ff or  deth  wyll  pluck  [yt]  all  downe  ! 
ye  dred  of  deth  do  trobyll  me !  10 

Whan  I  shal  deye  I  ame  not  suere, 
In  what  countre  or  in  what  howere, 
Where  fore  I  sobbyng  sey  to  my  power : 
ye  dred  of  deth  do  troble  me ! 

Whan  my  sowle  &  my  body  departyd  shallbe,  15 

Of  my  Jugment,  no  man  cane  tell  me  ! 
Nor  of  my  place  wher  yat  I  shal  be : 
yerjore  dred  of  deth  do  troble  me  I 

Jhesu  cryst  whan  yat  he  shuld  sofer  hys  passyon, 
To  hys  fader  he  seyd  with  gret  deuocyon,  20 

Thys  is  ye  causse  of  my  intercessyon  : 
ye  dred  of  deth  do  troble  me  I 

Al  crysten  pepull,  be  ye  wysse  &  ware, 
Thys  world  is  butt  a  chery  ffare, 
Replett  with  sorow  &  fulfyllyd  with  care  !  25 

yerjore  ye  dred  of  deth  do  troble  me ! 

Wheyer  yat  I  be  mery  or  good  wyne  drynk, 
Whan  yat  I  do  on  my  last  daye  thynk, 
It  mak  my  sowle  &  body  to  schrynke, 
fore  ye  dred  of  deth  sore  troble  me !  30 

Jhesu  vs  graunt  hyme  so  to  honowr, 
That  at  owr  end  he  may  be  owr  socowr, 
And  kepe  vs  fro  ye  fendes  powr, 
for  yan  dred  of  deth  shal  not  troble  me! 


102 


IN   WHAT   ESTATE   SO   EUER   I   BE 

36.  (B  a  II  c  3)  Bodl.  MS.  Engl.  Poet.  e.  1. 

In  what  estate  so  euer  I  be 
Timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

As  I  went  in  a  mery  mornyng, 
I  hard  a  byrd  boye  wep  &  syng, 
Thys  was  ye  tenowr  of  her  talkyng :  5 

timor,  &c. 

I  asked  yat  byrd  what  sche  ment, 
I  am  a  musket  boye  fayer  &  gent, 
for  dred  of  deth  I  am  al  schent : 

timor,  &c.  10 

Whan  I  schal  dey  I  know  no  day, 
what  countre  or  place  I  can  not  sey, 
wherf or  yis  song  syng  I  may : 
timor,  &c. 

Jhesu  cryst  whane  he  schuld  dey,  15 

to  hys  fader  he  gan  sey : 
fader,  he  sayd,  in  trinyte, 

timor,  &c. 

All  crysten  pepull  behold  &  se, 

yis  world  is  but  a  vanyte,  20 

&  replet  with  necessyte, 

timor,  [&c] 

Wak  I  or  sclep,  ete  or  drynke, 
whan  I  on  my  last  end  do  thynk, 
for  grete  fer  my  sowle  do  shrynke,  25 

timor,  &c. 


103 

God  graunte  vs  grace  hym  for  to  serue, 
&  be  at  owr  end  whan  we  sterue, 
&  frome  ye  fynd  he  vs  preserue ! 
timor,  &c. 

ALAS,    MY    HART    WILL    BREK    IN    THRE 

37.  (B  a  II  c  4)  Balliol  MS.  354. 

Alas,  my  hart  wil  brek  in  thre 


30 


Terribilis  mors  conturbat  me 


e|fote 


Ilia  inventus  that  is  so  nyse 
me  deduxit  in  to  vayn  Devise, 

Infirmus  sum,  I  may  not  Rise.  5 

terribilis  mors  conturbat  me. 

Dum  iuv[enis]  jfui  lytill  I  dred, 
Se[d]  semper  in  sinni[s]  I  ete  my  bred, 
lam  ductus  sum  in  to  my  bed, 

terribilis  mors  [conturbat  me].  10 

Corpus  migrat  in  my  sowle, 
Respicit  demon  in  his  Rowle, 
Desiderat  ipse  to  haue  his  tolle, 

terribilis  mors  [conturbat  me]. 

Christus  se  ipsum,  whan  he  shuld  dye,  15 

Patri  suo  his  manhode  did  Crye : 
Respice  me,  pater,  that  is  so  hye, 

terribilis  mors  [conturbat  me]. 

Quaeso  lam,  the  trynyte 

Due  me  from  this  vanyte,  20 

In  Celum  ther  is  Joy  with  the  ! 

terribilis  mors  conturbat  me. 
Explicit. 


104 

TIMOR    MORTIS    CONTURBAT    ME 

38.  (B  a  lie  5)  Harl.  MS.  2255. 

fol.  i28b      So  as  I  lay  this  othir  nyght 

In  my  bed,  tournyng  vp  so  don, 

Whan  phebus  with  his  beemys  bryght 

Entryd  the  signe  of  the  lyon, 

I  gan  remembre  with  Inne  my  reson  5 

Vpon  wourldly  mutabilite, 

And  to  recoorde  wel  this  lesson : 

Timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

fol.  129       I  though te  pleynly  in  my  devise, 

And  gan  considre  in  myn  entent,  10 

how  Adam  whyloom  in  paradise 

Desceyved  was  of  a  fals  serpent 

to  breke  goddys  comandement, 

Wheer  thorugh  al  his  posteryte 

lernyd  by  short  avisement :  15 

Tymor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

ffor  styng  of  an  appyl  smal 

he  was  exyled  froom  that  place ; 

Sathan  maade  hym  to  haue  a  falle, 

To  lese  his  fortune  and  grace ;  ao 

And  froom  that  gardeyn  hym  enchace 

ffulle  ferre  froom  his  felicite, 

And  thanne  this  song  gan  hym  manace : 

Timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

And  had  nought  been  his  greet  offence,  25 

And  this  greet  transgression ; 

And  also,  his  inobedience 

Of  malice  and  of  presuwpcion ; 


105 


Gyf  credence  agayn  al  reson 

To  the  Develys  iniquite ;  30 

We  had  knowe  no  condicion 

Oj  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

fol.  i29b      This  lastyd  forth  al  the  age ; 
ther  was  noon  othir  remedye ; 
The  venym  myght  nevir  a  swage  35 

Whoos  poyson  sprong  out  of  envye, 
Off  pryde,  veynglorye,  and  surquedye ; 
And  lastyng  til  tyme  of  Noye, 
And  he  stood  eek  in  Iupartye 
Of  timor  mortis  conturbat  me.  40 

ffroom  our  f orn  Jffadir  this  venym  cam, 

rlyndyng  nevir  noon  obstacle, 

Melchisedech  nor  of  Abraham, 

Ageyn  this  poyson  by  noon  pyacle ; 

but  of  his  seed  ther  sprang  tryacle,  —  45 

fhgure  of  Isaak,  ye  may  rede  and  see, 

Restoore  to  lyff  by  hih  myracle, 

Whan  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

Moyses  with  his  face  bryght, 

Which  cleer  as  ony  sunne  shoon ;  50 

Josue,  that  was  so  good  a  knyght, 

that  heng  the  kynges  of  Gabaoon; 

Nor  the  noble  myghty  Gedeoon; 

had  no  poweer  nor  no  powste 

flor  ther  ffamous  hih  renon  55 

Agayn  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

fol.  130       Sampson  that  rent  the  lion 

On  pecis  smale  thus  stood  the  caas ; 

For  dauid  that  slowh  the  champyon,  — 

I  meene  the  myghty  greet  Golias;  60 


106 

Nor  machabeus,  the  strong  Iudas,  — 
Ther  fatal  ende  whoo  so  lyst  see,  — 
bothe  of  Cymon  and  Ionathas 
Was  timor  mortis  conlurbat  me. 

In  the  Apocalips  of  Seyn  Iohrij  —  6s 

The  chapitlys  whoo  so  can  devyde,  — 

the  apoostyl  thoughte  that  he  sawh  Oon 

Vpon  a  paale  hors  did  ryde 

that  poweer  hadde  on  euery  syde ; 

his  name  was  deth  thorugh  cruelte ;  70 

his  strook  whoo  so  that  durste  abyde 

Was  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

Rekne  alle  the  wourthy  nyne; 

And  these  Olde  Conquerours ; 

Deth  them  made  echoon  to  fyne,  75 

And  with  his  dedly  mortal  shours 

Abatyd  hath  ther  fressh  flours, 

And  cast  hem  don  froom  hih  degree ; 

And  eek  these  myghty  Empours 

Seith  timor  mortis  conturbat  me.  80 

fol.  i3ob      These  ladyes  that  were  so  fressh  of  face, 
And  of  bewte  moost  souereyn : 
Ester,  Iudith,  and  eek  Candace, 
Alceste,  dido,  and  fayr  Eleyne, 
And  eek  the  goodly  wywes  tweyne  85 

Maroya  and  penelope 
Were  embracyd  in  the  cheyne 
Of  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

What  may  alle  wourldly  good  avaylle,  — 
Strengthe,  konnyng  and  rychesse  ?  90 

For  victorye  in  bataylle, 
flame,  conquest,  nor  hardynesse, 


107 


kyngdammys  to  wynne  or  oppresse, 

Youthe,  helthe  nor  prosperyte  : 

All  this  hath  here  no  sykirnesse  95 

Ageyn  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

Whan  youthe  hath  doon  his  passage, 

And  lusty  yeerys  been  agoon, 

Thanne  folwith  afftir  crookyd  age, 

Slak  skyn  and  many  a  wery  boon ;  100 

The  sunne  is  dirk  that  whyloom  shoon 

Of  lusty  youthe  and  f ressch  bewte ;      / 

Whan  othir  socour  is  ther  noon, 

But  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

fol.  131        In  August  whan  the  levys  falle,  105 

Wyntir  folwith  affair  soone 
The  grene  of  somyr  doth  appalle. 
the  wourld  is  changeable  as  the  mo  one; 
Than  is  there  no  moore  to  doone 
But  providence  in  ech  degree  no 

Of  recure  whan  ther  is  no  boone 
Saaff  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 

Ech  man  be  war  and  wys  beforn, 

Or  sodeyn  deth  come  hym  to  saylle ; 

ffor  there  was  nevir  so  myghty  born,  115 

Armyd  in  platys  nor  in  maylle, 

That  whan  deth  doth  hym  assay  lie 

hath  of  diffence  no  liberte 

to  thynke  a  fore  what  myght  avaylle 

On  timor  mortis  conturbat  me.  120 

Empreente  this  mateer  in  your  mynde, 
And  remembre  wel  on  this  lesson : 
Al  wourldly  good  shal  leve  be  hynde, 
Tresour  and  greet  pocession. 


108 


I  we  sodeyn  transmutation  125 

ther  may  no  bettir  socour  be 
Thanne  ofte  thynke  on  cristes  passion 
Whan  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 


PATER    NOSTER    IN    ANGLICO 

39.  (B  /?  I  a  1)  Harl.  MS.  3724,  fol.  44. 

Ure  fader  in  hevene  riche, 

pi  name  be  haliid  ever  i-liche ; 

pu  bringe  us  to  pi  michil  blisce, 

pi  wille  to  wirche  f>u  us  wisse, 

Als  hit  is  in  hevene  i-do 

Ever  in  eorfe  ben  it  al  so ; 

pat  holi  bred  fat  we  lestef  ay 

pu  send  hit  ous  pis  ilke  day ; 

Forgive  ous  alle  }>at  we  havij)  don, 

Als  we  forgivet  uch  opir  man ; 

Ne  lete  us  falle  in  no  fondinge, 

Ak  scilde  us  fro  pe  foule  pinge.     Amen. 

PATER    NOSTER 

40.  (B  P  I  a  2)  Rawlinson  MS.  B  408. 

Pater  noster,  qui  es  in  celis,  sanctificetur  nomen  tuum 

Oure  fader  in  heuen  halowed  be  ]>i  name, 

As  Ihesus  J>i  sone  taw  t  us  to  say : 
Kepe  us  ]>i  children  from  synne  and  blame, 
That  we  ben  saued  at  oure  laste  day. 
Thi  name  in  us  halowed  be  may 

Iff  we  make  clene  oure  tempil  with-ynne. 
Now  kepe  us,  fader,  fro  deedly  synne. 


109 


Adueniat  regnum  tuum 

Fader,  J?i  kyngdom  late  come  to  us, 

That  we  may  come  and  dwelle  with  the : 
Thy  sonne,  oure  broker,  and  oure  lorde,  ihesus,        10 
Bought  us  fat  kyngdome  on  f  e  rode  tre. 
Now,  for  his  loue  fat  dyed  for  me, 
And  hath  oure  flessh  fere  in  his  region, 
Lete  me  come  aftur  with  true  confession. 

Fiat  uoluntas  tua,  sicut  in  celo,  &  in  terra 

Fader,  f  i  wille  late  euer  be  done,  is 

With  us  in  erthe,  as  it  is  in  heuen : 
And  as  ofte  as  we  make  any  transgression, 
The  werkes  of  mercy  late  helpe  us  seuen 
In  oure  a-countes  fat  we  stande  euen, 

So  fat  f  i  wil  fulfilled  may  be  20 

With  feyth  and  hope  and  trew  charite. 

Panem  nostrum  cotidianum  da  nobis  hodie 

Geue  us  fis  day  oure  euery  dayes  brede, 

Oure  bodily  sustynaunce  and  gostely  also, 
That  whef  er  we  be  a-lyue  or  dede 

Oure  gostely  fode  with  us  may  go  25 

To  make  us  stronge  a-^enst  oure  fo, 
Euer  vpon  us  fat  lythe  in  a-wayte 
To  take  f  i  children  with  hokes  and  bayte. 

Et  dimitte  nobis  debita  nostra  sicut  &  nos  dimittimus  debitoribus 

nostris 

And  also,  fader,  fore^ue  oure  dettes, 

To  al  oure  dettours  as  we  for>eue ;  30 

And  when  oure  enemye  wil  caste  his  nettes 

To  cacche  f  i  children,  >eue  hym  no  leue. 

Suffre  us  neuer  f  e  for  to  greue, 


110 


For^euyng  al  fat  ys  done  before ; 

And  grawnt  us  grace  to  greue  f  e  nomore.  35 

Et  ne  nos  inducas  in  temptacionem 

And  lede  us  not,  fader,  in-to  temptacion, 

Ne  suffre  us  neuer  to  falle  f  er-ynne. 
The  fende  bryngeth  us  fals  delectacion ; 
Our  rlessh  is  redy  euer  to  synne ; 
The  worlde  is  besy  us  for  to  blynne.  40 

When  f  er  temptaciones  meueth  our  entent, 
Suffer  us  neuer  to  graunt  nor  consent. 

Sed  libera  nos  a  malo 

But,  fader,  delyuer  us  from  al  ylle 

Thorgh  f  ese  peticiouns  fat  ihesus  ys  taught, 
And  suffre  oure  sowles  neuer  to  spylle  45 

For  whom  f  i  sone  so  manly  hath  faught. 
And  in  oure  batayle  ^if  we  be  caught 

Raunsom  us,  fader,  with  mercy  and  grace, 
And  bryng  us  al  to  f  i  blisful  place.     Amen. 


HYMN   TO    GOD 

41.  (B  /?  I  a  3)  Corpus  MS.  54,  D.  5.  14. 

Hit  bilimpeS  forte  speke,  to  reden,  &  to  singe 
Of  him  f  e  no  mon  mai  at  reke,  king  of  alle  kinge. 
He  mai  binde  &  to  breke  ;  he  mai  blisse  bringe ; 
He  mai  hike  &  unsteke  michte  of  al  f  inge. 

Vroure  &  hele  folkes,  fader  heouenliche  drichte, 
Alle  f  ing  f  et  is  &  was,  is  on  fine  michte ; 
J?u  >ifst  pe  sunne  to  the  darj,  J?e  mone  to  pe  nichte, 
fine  strengf e  non  ne  mai  telle,  ne  fin  michte. 


Ill 


Iherd  ^e  beo  pin  holi  nome  in  heouene  &  in  eorpe. 
J)u  sscope  eld  &  wind  &  water,  pe  molde  is  pet  feorpe.      10 
Of  wham  we  alle  imaked  beo$,  fat  is  pe  holi  eorpe. 
pu  pe  wost  al  ure  poucht ;  louerd,  drau>  us  neor  pe. 

Fader  &  sune  &  hoh  gost,  on  god  in  primnesse, 

inne  pe  nis  lac  ne  lest  au^  alle  holinesse. 

Vre  neode  wel  pu  wost,  &  ure  unkunnesse.  15 

in  pine  hond  is  michte  mest,  louerd,  j>u  vs  blesce. 

Let  vs,  louerd,  comen  among  pin  holi  kineriche. 

ihesu  crist,  pin  elpi  sune,  pe  is  pe  seolf  iliche ; 

he  vs  bouchte  wift  his  blod  of  pe  feondes  swiche, 

&  of  bitter  helle  fur,  &  of  pe  fule  smiche.  20 

Al  swo  is  in  heouene  he^  in  eorpe  beo  pin  wille ; 

holi  drichte,  swete  &  dre^  in  heldes  &  in  hulle ; 

ne  let  pu  neure  cumen  vs  ne^  pene  feond  pe  is  swo  ille, 

Ach  bind  him  honden,  fet,  &  pe),  &  let  him  ligge  stille. 

Vre  da^  wunelich  bred,  louerd,  p\i  vs  sende,  25 

pat  bred  of  hele  &  of  lif,  ihesu  crist  pe  hende. 
pat  bred  pe  monkun  haueS  ibroucht  ut  of  feondes  bende. 
he  beo  vre  help  &  ure  red  to  ure  Hues  ende. 

Fader,  for  ^if  vs  ure  gult,  &  eke  alle  ure  sunne  ; 

Al  swo  we  doS  pe  us  habbeS  igruld  to  freomede  &  to 

kunne ;  30 

bring  us  ut  of  worldes  wo  in  to  alle  wunne, 
for  her  beoS  werkes  swioe  unwreste,  &  pewes  swipe 

punne. 

Bring  us  ut  of  wo  &  kare  &  of  feondes  fondinge ; 
wicke  is  here  ure  fare  &  ure  wuni^inge ; 
mid  wicke  speche  &  false  sware  &  mid  lesinge  35 

pu  ert  hele  &  help  &  lif  &  king  of  alle  kinge. 


112 


HEYL,   LEVEDY,    SE-STOERRE   BRYHT 

42.  (B  /3  I  a  4)  Porkington  MS.  No.  10. 

Heyl,  levedy,  se-stoerre  bryht, 

Godes  moder,  edy  wyht, 

Mayden  ever  vurst  and  late ; 

Of  heveneriche  sely  ^ate, 

Thylk  ave  thai  thow  vonge  in  spel,  5 

Of  the  aungeles  mouheth  kald  Gabriel, 

In  gryht  ous  sette,  and  shyld  vrom  shome, 

That  turnst  abakward  Eves  nome ; 

Gulty  monnes  bond  unbynd ; 

Bryng  lyht  tyl  hoem  that  boeth  blynd ;  10 

Put  vrom  ous  oure  sunne, 

And  ern  ous  elle  wynne. 

Shou  that  thou  art  moder  one, 

And  he  vor  the  take  oure  bone ; 

That  vor  ous  thy  chyld  by-com,  is 

And  of  the  oure  kunde  nom. 

Mayde  one  thou  were  myd  chylde, 

Among  alle  so  mylde, 

Of  sunne  ous  quite  on  haste, 

And  make  ous  meoke  and  chaste ;  20 

Lyf  thou  ^yf  ous  clene ; 

Wey  syker  ous  ?arke  and  lene, 

That  we  Jesus  y-soe, 

And  ever  blythe  boe ! 
To  the  vader,  Cryst,  and  to  the  Holy  Gost,  beo  thonk  and 
heryinge,  25 

To  threo  persones  and  o  God,  0  menske  and  worshypinge ! 

A   PRAYER   TO   THE   VIRGIN   MARY 

43.  (B  (S  I  a  5)  Vernon  MS.  fol.  407. 

Ave  Maris  Stella,  dei  Mater  Alma, 
Atque  semper  virgo,felix  cell  porta. 


113 

Heil,  sterre  of  J>e  See  so  briht ! 

pow  graunt  vs  to  ben  vr  gyde ; 
Godes  holi  Moder  riht, 

pi  worschipe  walkep  wyde ; 
Al-wey  Mayden  porw  his  miht,  $ 

pow  sittest  bi  his  syde ; 
Blesset  ^ate  of  heuene  Hht, 
pow  rede  vs  riht  to  ryde ! 
Ladi,  we  ben  maked  al  glad : 

ffor  j?ou  weore  meoke  I-founde,  10 

Godes  Moder  weore  J>ou  mad, 
I-Blesset  beo  f>at  stounde ! 

Liknet  artou  to  sterre  of  see, 

To  lihten  vs,  grete  and  smale ; 
Godes  Moder  ay  to  be  is 

ffor  vs  fou  telle  vr  tale ; 
ffor  j>i  Maydenhod  so  fre, 

pou  bring  vs  out  of  bale ; 
Help  us  in-to  heuene  fle 

Out  of  J>is  wopes  dale.  20 

Ladi,  bring  vs  out  of  wo ! 

ffrom  Bales  pon  vs  borwe ! 
Godes  Moder  and  Mayden  also, 
pou  saue  vs  out  of  sorwe ! 

Sumens  illud  Aue  Gabrielis  ore, 

ffunda  nos  in  pace,  mutans  nomen  eue. 
Takyng  fat  word  Aue  — 

pat  sonde  sat  pe  seete  —  25 

Of  Gabriels  mouJ>  so  fre, 

porw  God  he  gon  pe  grete. 
Prei  for  us  in  pes  to  be, 

Wi)>  murfes  mo  to  meete ;  30 

Eues  name  i-tornd  for  f>e 

pat  sit  us  softe  and  swete. 


114 


Ladi  blisful,  Meoke  and  Mylde, 

pat  word  in  Ioye  us  pultus ; 
Godes  Moder,  prei  pi  childe  35 

pat  he  for-^iue  vr  gultus. 

Aue  wordily  pe  fel, 

pat  was  pe  parked  ^ore 
Of  fat  Angel  Gabriel, 

porw  )iit  of  Godes  lore.  40 

Prey  us  pes,  f  er  to  be  snel, 
pou  salue  us  of  vr  sore ; 
Sif  fat  Eue  is  tornd  so  well, 
Vr  blisse  is  wel  f  e  more. 

Ladi,  qween  of  paradys,  45 

To  f  e  we  schullen  calle, 
Godes  Moder,  wommon  wys, 
And  Mekest  most  of  alle. 

Solue  vincla  reis,  profer  lumen  cecis, 

mala  nostra  pelle,  bona  cuncta  posce. 
Gulti  bondes  here  vnbynd, 

Vr  gultes  ben  to  fele ;  50 

Seend  hem  siht  fat  here  aren  blynd, 

pou  bring  vs  to  pi  wele ; 
Put  a-wey  vr  wikked  wynt, 

Vr  synful  lyf  f  ou  heele ; 
Alle  goodes  aske  and  grynt,  55 

And  sent  vs  of  fat  Meole. 
Ladi,  nou  fat  hit  is  p us, 

Help  we  weore  vnbounde ; 
Godes  Moder,  prei  for  vs 
To  him  wif  blodi  wounde.  60 

We  han  agult,  vnbynd  us  here, 

Wif  Merci  fond  vs  fede ; 
Send  p e  blynde,  lokyng  clere, 

To  hele  us  here  tak  hede ; 


115 


Put  a-wei  vr  wik  in  weere,  65 

pat  dof  us  dri^e  and  drede ; 
Aske  us  God  wif -outen  peere, 
pat  holliche  heuene  meede. 
Laydi,  nou  fin  help  a-non, 

per  of  fat  we  ne  fayle ;  70 

Godes  Moder,  a-^ein  vr  fon 
pou  most  be  Countur  tayle. 

Monstra  te  esse  matrem,  sumat  par  te  precem 

qui  pro  nobis  natus  tulit  esse  tuus. 
Scheuh  fat  Moder  art,  enclyn 

To  him  fat  dy^ed  on  Roode ; 
He,  f  orw?  f  e,  tak  preyer  myn,  75 

pat  bou^t  us  wij)  his  bloode ; 
Boren  for  us  was  he  so  fyn, 
Hit  com  al  vs  to  goode ; 
He  bi-com  heere  sone  fyn, 

pi  Milk  fen  was  his  foode.  80 

Godus  Modur,  f  ou  him  beere, 

pi  Milk  nas  non  Ilyche, 
Ladi,  him  to  fostren  heere ; 
pat  Burf e  was  ful  riche. 

Modur,  scheuh  fat  f ou  art  fre ;  85 

pe  may  no  murf  e  misse ; 
Do  fat  we  ben  herd  f orw  f e, 

pou  bring  us  to  f  i  blisse. 
I-boren  for  us  forsof  e  was  he, 

pe  synful  men  to  wisse,  90 

He  fat  tok  f i  child  to  be, 
pi  Mouf  wif  his  to  kisse. 
Ladi  briht,  wif  ei^en  gray, 

Such  cos  f  ou  geete  with  winne ; 
Godus  Modur,  Niht  and  day  95 

pou  help  vs  out  of  sinne. 


116 


Virgo  singularis,  inter  omnes  mitis, 

nos  culpis  solutos  mites  fac  6*  castos. 
One,  peereles  Maide  now, 

pin  help  adoun  )?ou  seende ; 
A-mong  vchone,  Meoke  artou, 

\   A^eyn  pe  we  ben  vn-heende ;  ioo 

Sinne  bond  vs,  fow  wost  hou, 
pis  world  vs  wol  a-bleende ; 
Make  vs  meoke,  cast  in  a  vou 
In- to  vr  lyues  ende. 
Ladi,  bring  vs  out  of  strif,  105 

Vs  geynej)  nouht  to  ^elpe ; 
Godus  Modur,  al  vr  lyf 
We  spillen,  bote  fou  helpe. 

Mayden  al-one,  buyrde  briht, 

Wei  brihtor  pen  pe  Sonne ;  no 

Mekest  Mayden,  most  of  miht, 

Vr  gatus  fou  bi-gonne ; 
Sinne  bond  vs  day  and  niht, 
We  spillen  J>at  we  sponne : 
Mak  vs  meke  and  clene  in  siht,  115 

pen  is  vr  game  I-wonne. 
Ladi,  lene  vs  of  f>i  lint, 

flor  ^it  we  ben  to  blynde ; 
Godes  modur,  send  vs  miht, 
pe  rihte  wei  to  wende.  120 

Vitam  presta  puram,  iter  para  tutum, 

Vt  videntes  Ihesum  semper  colletemur. 
And  leen  vs  clene  lyf  also, 

pis  lyf  is  serwe  and  sake ; 
Diht  vs  siker  wei  to  go, 

pis  sunful  lyf  )>ou  slake  ; 


117 


Get  vs  Ihesus  to  seo  fer-to,  125 

porw  siht  of  him  to  a-wake, 
Vs  to  gladschupe  euer-mo, 
pin  help  vs  foil  by-take. 
Ladi  louelich,  feir  and  fre, 

pou  lilye  whyt  of  face,  130 

Godus  Moder  briht  of  ble, 
We  tristen  to  ]>i  grace. 

Clene  lyf  }ii  vs  to-day, 

And  forward  euer-more, 
Greif  vs  here  a  syker  way ;  135 

We  stomble  of te  and  sore ; 
Siht  of  Ihesu,  wel  )>ou  may, 

^if  hit  pi  wiile  wore, 
porw  fat  siht  to  glade  vs  ay, 

So  lyking  is  pi  lore.  140 

Ladi  al  in  liht  I-schrud, 

peos  wordes  ben  ful  so)>e ; 
Godus  Modur,  Qween  I-kud, 
Tak  pi  seruauns  to  pe. 


COME,  SHUPPERE,  HOLY  GOST 

44.  (B  (3  I  a  6)  Porkington  MS.  No.  10. 

Come,  shuppere,  Holy  Gost,  of  feth  oure  thouhtes 

Vul  wyth  grace  of  hevene,  heortes  that  thou  wrouhtest ; 

Thou  that  art  cleped  vorspekere,  and  ^yft  vrom  God  y-send, 

Weolle  of  lyf  vur  charite  and  gostlych  oynement. 

Thou  ^yfst  the  sevene  ^yftes,  thou  vinger  of  Godes  honde, 

Thou  makest  tonge  of  vles^e  speke  leodene  of  uche  londe, 

Send  lyht  in  oure  wyttes,  in  oure  heortes  love ; 

Ther  oure  body  is  leothe-wok,  ^yf  strengthe  vrom  above ; 


118 


Shyld  ous  vrom  the  veonde,  and  ^yf  ous  gryth  anon, 
That  woe  wyten  ous  vrom  sunne  thorou  the  lodesmon.  ic 

Of  the  vader  and  the  sone  thou  ^yf  ous  knoulechinge, 
To  leve  that  vel  of  in  bothe  thou  ever  boe  woninge. 
Woele  to  the  vader,  and  to  the  sone  that  vrom  deth  aros, 
And  also  thes  Holy  Gost  ever  worshipe  and  los. 

A  PRAYER  FOR   GRACE 

45.  (B  (3  I  a  7)       Brit.  Mus.  Royal  MS.  17  B.  XVTI. 

Ihesu  myne,  graunte  me  pi  grace, 

and  of  amendment  might  &  space, 

pi  word  to  kepe  &  do  pi  wille, 

po  gode  to  chese  &  leeue  po  ille, 

and  pat  hit  so  may  be,  5 

Gode  ihesu,  graunt  hit  me.     Amen. 

TO   pE   GUDE   ANGELL 

46.  (B  /?  I  a  8)  Balliol  MS.  354. 

O  angell  dere,  wher-euer  I  goo, 
Me  that  am  comytted  to  thyne  awarde,  - 

Saue,  defende,  &  govern  also, 
That  in  hewyn  with  the  be  my  reward ! 

Clense  my  sowle  from  syn  pat  I  haue  do,  5 

&  vertuosly  me  wysse  to  godward ! 
Shyld  me  from  pe  fende  evermo, 

&  fro  the  paynes  of  hell  so  hard ! 

0  thou  cumly  angell,  so  gud  &  clere, 

pat  ever  art  abydyng  with  me !  10 

Thowgh  I  may  nother  the  se  nor  here, 

Yet  devoutely  with  trist  I  pray  to  the. 


119 


My  body  &  sowle  thou  kepe  in  fere, 
With  soden  deth  departid  J>at  they  not  be ! 

For  j>at  ys  thyn  offes,  both  fere  &  nere,  15 

In  every  place  wher  ever  I  be. 

0  blessid  angell,  to  me  so  dere, 

Messangere  of  God  Almyght, 
Govern  my  dedis  &  thowght  in  fere, 

To  pe  plesaunce  of  God,  both  day  &  nyght !         20 
Explicit. 


A  RESOLVE   TO   REFORM 

47.  (B  0 II  a  1)  Digby  MS.  2,  leaf  15. 

No  more  willi  wiked  be ; 
Forsake  ich  wille  f>is  world-is  fe, 
fis  wildis  wodis,  Jris  folen  gle  ; 

ich  wul  be  mild  of  chere : 
of  cnottis  seal  mi  girdil  be,  5 

becomme[n]  ich  wil  frere. 

Frer  menur  i  wil  me  make, 
and  lecherie  i  wille  asake ; 
to  ihesu  crist  ich  wil  me  take, 

and  serue  in  holi  churche,  10 

all  in  mi  ouris  for  to  wake, 

goddis  wille  to  wurche. 

Wurche  i  wille  J>is  workes  gode, 

for  him  fat  boyht  us  in  pe  rode ; 

from  his  side  ran  J>e  blode ;  15 

so  dere  he  gan  vs  bie  : 
for  sothe  i  tel  him  mor  J?an  wode, 

)>at  haytit  licherie. 


120 


A  MORNING  THANKSGIVING  AND  PRAYER  TO  GOD 

48.  (B  0  II  b  1)  Vernon  MS. 

I  ponke  f  e,  lord  god,  ful  of  miht, 
Wif  al  fat  euer  I  con  &  may, 
pat  hast  me  sauet  f  is  ilke  niht, 
And  suffret  me  forto  abyde  f  is  day. 
I-blesset  be  f  ou  euer  &  ay,  5 

And  halewed  be  fin  hy^e  name ; 

And  worschypet  be  f  ou,  lord,  al-way, 

Wif  hy^e  &  lowe,  wylde  &  tame. 

In  fe  name  of  god  fat  al  fing  wrou^th, 

Heuen  &  erf  e  and  vche  creature ;  10 

In  f  e  name  of  ihesu  fat  me  dere  bou^th, 
pat  is  god,  godus  sone  so  pure ; 
pe  holygost,  god  in  o  figure, 

To  f  e,  o  god  in  persones  f  re, 
I  be-take  fis  day  of  me  cure,  15 

And  wif  pi  tokene  I  marke  me : 
In  nomine  patris  &  filij  &  spiritus  sancti,  Amen. 

Pater  noster.     Aue  maria.     Et  Credo. 

Lord  god,  fat  j>is  day  woldust  make, 

And  schope  me  to  lyue  fer-ynne, 
My  body  &  soule  I  pe  be-take. 
pis  day,  lord,  kep  me  out  of  synne,  20 

Wif  troufe  p is  day  my  lyflode  to  wynne, 

So  fat  I  do  f e  non  ofTens, 
ffrom  f i  lawe  fat  I  ne  twynne, 

Ne  breke  f  i  ten  commaundementes. 

Lord  god  Ihesu,  as  f  ou  were  boren  in  a  dawynge,        25 

Of  a  virgyne  pure  &  clene, 
Kepe  me,  lord,  f  is  morewenynge, 

pis  day  in  dedly  synne  fat  I  not  byn  lene, 


121 

ffor  wyninge  of  erfelyche  godus  : 

ffrom  flessch[ly]  lustus  &  lykynge,  30 

Kepe  me,  lord,  wif>  ]>i  pressyos  blod, 

rlrom  temptacions  of  )?e  fende. 

And  as  )?ou  were  turmentud  sore 

In  fat  selue  tyde  of  niht, 
Wi}>  bobbyng,  scorny[n]ge  &  wel  more,  35 

ffort  hit  were  dayes  light 

[ ight] 

Sende  me  fis  day  do  sum  good  dede 
In  lettyng  wrong  &  doyng  riht, 

pat  J?ou,  lord,  mouwe  quyte  me  my  mede.  40 

As  fou  were  lord,  when  hit  was  day, 

Ofte  examnet  wif>  wordus  grete, 
Wif  bysschopes  of  ful  gret  aray, 

Wij>  proude  prynces  fat  f  e  con  f rete, 

Sende  me  fis  day  drynk  &  mete,  45 

And  susteyne  me  in  f  i  seruise ; 
^if  I  be  mys-hap,  lord,  f  e  fo[r]^ete, 
porw  f  e,  lord,  let  me  aryse ! 

Lord,  I  be-take  f  e  my  nue  wyttes  : 

Myn  y>en,  fat  I  synge  not  in  sy^th.  50 

Lord,  my  mouth  open  hit  in  fi  werkes, 
per-wif  fat  I  may  speke  truf  e  &  ri^th. 
Myn  heryng,  lord  god,  dele  &  dy>h 

To  here  noting  a^eyn  f  i  wille ; 
My  nese,  lord  ihesu,  ful  of  my^th,  55 

Kepe  hit  fat  I  non  vuel  smel. 

Lord,  kep  &  lede  my  feet  also 

pat  heo  don  f  i  seruyse, 
pat  with  hem  I  not  mys  go. 

Myn  honden,  lord,  kep  on  alle  wyse,  60 


122 

And  set  hem,  lord,  in  such  asyse 
pat  I,  [o]  lord,  with  hem  not  synne ; 

And  ^if  I  do,  lord,  let  me  aryse, 

And  let  me  not  longe  lygge  perynne. 

pey^  I  haue  syngut  her-be-fore,  65 

Let  me  not  for-garte  pi  grace. 
I  crye  pe  mercy,  lord,  euer  more ; 

Of  amendement,  lord,  sende  sum  space, 
And  sende  my  soule  for  my  trespace. 

penke,  lord,  I  am  pi  creature,  70 

And  sende  me,  lord,  help  now  in  pis  cas 
pi  mercy  out  ouer  al  mesure. 

Lord,  wharto  woldust  vengaunce  take 

On  me  pat  ^elde  me  pus  gulty? 
I  may  not  amendus  make,  75 

But  put  me  holly  in  pi  mercy, 
And  for  my  synne  I  am  sorye : 

penk,  of  my  self  no  my^th  I  haue ; 
But  pou  me  help,  in  synne  I  dye  : 

pi  grace,  mercy,  lord,  may  me  saue.  80 

My  soule,  my  body,  lord  god  ihesu, 

I  now  by-take  in  pi  kepynge  : 
Kepe  me,  lord,  in;pi  vertu, 

In  al  my  werk  &  al  my  worchynge. 

In  pi  nome  be  al  my  doynge  !  85 

In  pe  nome  of  Ihesu  I  be-gynne : 
Lord  god  ihesu  al  weldynge, 

pis  day  kepe  me  out  of  synne !     Amen ! 

AN    ORISOUN    TO    GOD 

49.  (B  p  II  b  2)  Vernon  MS. 

Lord,  my  God  al  Merciable, 
I  pe  bi-seche  wip  herte  stable 


123 


pat  I  mouwe  euere  wilne  fat  f  ing 

pat  most  may  beo  to  f  y  lykyng, 

And  wysliche  folewen  euere  f  i  wille,  5 

Sikerliche  knowen  and  folfulle 

pe  louereden  of  f  i  nome  and  blis, 

Mi  stat  ordeynen  as  f  i  wille  is. 

Al  fin  askyng  and  pi  wille 

Euere  do  me,  lord,  folnlle ;  10 

As  me  may  most  in  soule  nede 

pi  wissynge  help  to  spede. 

Mi  wei  to  pe  beo  siker  and  riht, 

And  harde  i-fastnet  wif  f  i  mint, 

pat  I  in  weole  pe  fonke  so  15 

And  euere  beo  pacient  in  wo, 

pat  I  falle  ne  neuer  mo 

In  noujmr  of  hem  bof  e  two ; 

Ne  fat  I  neuere  glad  ne  be 

But  in  f  ing  fat  lykef  pe,  20 

Ne  serwe  neuere  bote  for  f  ing 

pat  torne  pe  to  mis-lykyng, 

Ne  fat  I  neuere  desire  to  plesen 

No  mon  falsliche  ne  displesen 

Bote  p e,  deore  lord,  al-one,  25 

ffor  no  drede  of  monnes  mone. 

Al  erf  liche  f  ing  beo  vyl  to  me, 

Lord,  for  pe  loue  of  pe, 

And  alle  f  inges  fat  f yne  be 

Leof  and  deore  mak  hem  me,  30 

And  f  ou  al-one,  Almihti  kyng, 

Out  and  ouer  al  of  ur  f  yng 

Euer  beo  most  in  my  lykyng, 

And  wif  me  derworf  est  ouer  alle  f  ing. 

Alle  Ioyes  beo  nuyous  to  me  35 

pat  ben,  lord,  wif-outen  f e. 

In  alle  trauayles  fat  ben  for  f e 


124 


Euer-more  al  my  lykyng  be. 

Restes  alle  fat  ne  ben  in  ]>e, 

Anuy  and  trauayle  beo  J>ei  to  me.  40 

Euere  myn  herte  to  f>e  f>ou  dresse, 

Mi  sunne  to  clanse  wi))  serefulnesse. 

Boxum  me  make  wif>-oute  feyning, 
And  glad  wif>-outen  ryotyng, 
Serwhful  wif>-outen  f>at  lufer  last  45 

To  maken  of  my-self  out-cast, 
Meur  wif>-outen  greuoushed, 
And  Murie  wif>-outen  wyldehed, 
SoJ>  wif-outen  falshed 

Or  eny  of>ur  doublehed  50 

Of  fikel  word  wif>  double  entente 
To  bleenden  J?at  f>e  sawe  mente, 
Dredful  wif>-outen  wonhope ; 
And  trust  wif>-outen  ouer-hope ; 
Min  euencristne  to  vndurnyme  so  55 

pat  per  ne  beo  no  feynyng  to, 
And  wif>-outen  eny  pruyde 
Hem  to  edefyen  in  alle  tyde, 
In  word,  ensaumple,  and  in  dede, 
To  alle  gode  from  alle  quede ;  60 

Vmble  wif>-outen  ^ein-siggyng, 
SufTraunt  wif-outen  grucchyng. 
Waker  herte  jif  p>ou  me, 
Euere,  lord,  a-bouten  )?e, 

pat  neuer  non  o]mr  curiousete  65 

Ne  led  my  herte  fromward  f>e. 
jif  me  herte  so  noble  and  fre 
pat  no  fals  loue  hit  drawe  fro  \>e. 
)\i  me  herte  J>at  neuermore  fayle, 
Ne  bi  conqueret  in  no  trauayle.  70 

ffreo  herte,  lord,  ^if  me  wi|?  wynne, 
pat  vuel  delyt  naue  kalange  Inne. 


125 

Rihtful  herte  ^if  me  also 

pat  no  wrong  wit  ne  enclyne  to. 

Lord,  ffadur  of  alle  Merci,  75 

I  pe  bi-seche  hertely 

Cunnynge,  pe  to  knowe  ariht 

Wif>  bisi  sechinge  day  and  niht, 

Wij>  pat  I  kunne  fynde, 

Mi  pewes  in  pi  lykyng  bynde ;  80 

Perseueraunce  pe  to  abyde, 

^if  me,  lord,  in  vche  a  tyde, 

Wij>  hope  trewe  and  studefast 

pat  pe,  lord,  ay  bi-cluppe  fast ; 

porwh  penaunce  f>at  I  mowe  do  85 

pi  pyneful  [l]yf  mowe  lykne  to ; 

And  whil  me  lastep  lyues  space, 

Gode  werkes  vsen  }>orwh  J>i  grace, 

pyne  Ioyes  vsen  and  wif>  pe  wone 

In  pi  glorie,  wip  ffadur  &  sone.     Amen.  90 

MANE  NOBISCUM,   DOMINE ! 

(50.  B  p  II  b  3)  Vernon  MS. 

In  Somer  bi-fore  pe  Ascenciun 
At  Euensong  on  a  Sonundai 
Dwellyng  in  my  deuociun 
ffor  pe  pees  fast  gon  I  prai : 
I  herde  a  Reson  to  my  pai,  5 

pat  writen  was  with  wordes  pre, 
And  pus  hit  is,  schortly  to  say : 
Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

What  jns  word  is  forte  mene 

On  Englisch  tonge,  I  schal  }o\x  telle  :  10 

In  Concience  and  we  be  clene, 

Digne  J?i,  lord,  with  vs  to  dwelle,  — 


126 


pe  feondes  pouste  for  to  felle,  — 

pat  for  vs  di?ede  vppon  pe  tre ; 
In  wit  and  worschipe,  wei  and  welle,  15 

Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Whon  )?ou  from  deth  was  risen  and  gon, 

pen  as  a  Palmere  for})  gon  pas, 
po  met  j?ou  pilgrimes  makyng  moon, 

But  ^it  J?ei  wust  neuer  who  J>ou  was.  20 

pus  pen  Carpes  Cleophas : 

pe  Niht  is  neih  as  we  may  se, 
pe  liht  of  pe  dai  is  waxen  las  : 
Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Dwelle  with  vs,  vr  fader  dere,  25 

pi  bidyng  is  in  heuene-blis, 
And  euure  p\  name  be  halewed  here. 
pi  kyngdom  let  vs  neuere  mis. 
In  heuene  f>i  wille  folfuld  is, 

And  heere  in  eorf>e  f>at  hit  so  be  !  30 

pe  Rihtwys  weyes  ^e  wolde  vs  wis, 
Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Vr  bred,  vr  vche  dayes  foode, 
Drihten  deore,  j>ou  vs  diht. 
Vr  dette,  God  f>at  is  so  goode,  35 

ffor-^iue  vs  for  p\  muchele  miht, 
As  we  schul  heom  wif>  herte  liht 
pat  in  vr  dette  or  daunger  be. 
Leste  we  Rule  vs  not  a-riht, 

Mane  nobiscum,  domine!  40 

Dwelle  wi)>  vs,  lord,  leste  we  haue  teene, 

Lede  us  to  no  temptacion. 
In  eny  synne  ^if  we  beo  seene, 

We  prey  pe  of  Merci  and  pardoun ; 


127 


Wif  al  f  e  Mekenes  fat  we  moun,  45 

We  schal  crye,  knelyng  on  kne : 
Vppon  bere  whon  we  beo  boun, 

Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Lord,  dwelle  with  vs  in  al  ur  neode ; 

Wif-outen  f  e  we  haue  no  mint.  5° 

Vr  hondes  vp  til  vr  hed  to  beode, 
Wit  nor  weole  saueref  no  siht. 
In  eny  caas  }\i  we  ben  cliht, 

We  con  not  but  we  crie  to  f  e, 
In  al  vr  neode  bof  e  day  and  niht,  55 

Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Ho  dwelle)?  wif  f  e,  far  haue  no  doute 

ffor  no  synne  ne  sodeyn  chaunce. 
But  ay  f  e  fend  is  fast  aboute 

To  putte  vs,  lord,  fro  f  i  plesaunce ;  60 

Whon  we  beof  out  of  gouernaunce, 
Vr  flesch  is  frele,  we  can  not  fle : 
Keep  us  out  of  al  cumbraunce, 
Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Dwelle  wif  vs,  lord  of  loue  and  pes,  65 

And  make  jn  wonynge  vs  wif-inne, 
In  Charite  fat  we  encres, 

And  kep  vs  out  of  dedly  synne ; 
Torn  neuer  pi  face  from  us  to  twynne, 

ffor  Marie  loue,  J?at  Mayden  fre,  70 

Whon  we  schal  eny  werk  beo-gynne 
Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Mane  nobiscum,  domine! 

Wif-outen  pe  we  ben  riht  nouht. 
What  Ioye  or  Blis  weore  fat  to  pe,  75 

To  feose  fat  fou  hast  deore  abouht? 


128 


In  word,  In  wille,  In  herte  and  fount, 

We  schule  preye  to  f  e  Trinite  : 
Out  of  f  is  world  whon  we  be  brou^t, 

Mane  nobiscum,  domine!  80 


PRAYER  FOR  THE  SEVEN  GIFTS  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST 

51.  (B/?IIb4)  Vernon  MS. 

God  fat  art  of  mihtes  most, 
pe  seuen  Hftus  of  f  e  holigost 

I  preye  fat  f  ou  ^iue  me, 
pat  I  may  f  orwh  f  e  grace  of  hem 
Wynne  pi  loue  and  of  alle  men,  5 

And  euere  to  qweme  f  e. 

Lord,  for  pe  >ifte  of  pite 
^if  me  grace  sunne  to  fie, 

}ii  hit  beo  f  i  wille  ; 
And  f  orwh  pe  jiite  of  drede  also  10 

Euere  godnesse  forte  do, 

And  neuere  to  don  ille. 

In  wit,  louerd,  wys  me  make, 
Worldus  pruyde  euere  forsake, 

fifor  fi  woundus  fyue.  15 

^ift  of  strengf  e  graunte  f  ou  me, 
Out  of  sunne  euer  to  be, 

Whiles  icham  a-lyue. 

In-sihte  yii  f  ou  me  also 

pe  to  knowe,  in  weole  &  wo  20 

Whef  er  fat  i  beo  Inne. 
^ift  of  counseil  put  in  me 
Euere  for  to  serue  pe 

Clene  wif-oute  synne. 


129 

Sende  me  wisdam,  forte  se  25 

Mi  wrecchednesse  and  my  frelete 

Now  and  eueri  day ; 
So  fat  at  my  lyues  ende 
To  fat  love  f  ow  me  sende 

pat  lastef  now  and  ay.     Amen.  30 

ORATIO    MAGISTRI   RICHARDI    DE    CASTRE,    QUAM 
IPSE   POSUIT 

52.  (B  $  II  c  1)  Lambeth  MS.  853. 

Ihesu,  lord,  fat  madist  me, 

And  wif  fi  blessid  blood  hast  bou^t, 

For^eue  fat  y  haue  greued  fee 
With  worde,  with  wil,  And  eek  with  fou^t. 

Ihesu,  in  whom  [is]  al  my  trust,  5 

pat  deied  upon  f  e  roode  tree, 
Withdrawe  myn  herte  from  fleischli  lust, 

And  from  al  wordli  vanyte ! 

Ihesu,  for  pi  woundis  smerte 

On  feet  &  on  fin  hondis  two,  10 

Make  me  meeke  &  low  of  herte, 

And  pee  to  loue  as  y  schulde  do ! 

Ihesu,  for  f  i  bitter  wounde 

pat  wente  to  fin  herte  roote, 
For  synne  fat  haf  myn  herte  bounde,  15 

pi  blessid  bloode  mote  be  my  bote. 

And  ihesu  crist,  to  pee  y  calle 

pat  art  god  ful  of  my^t ; 
Kepe  me  cleene,  fat  y  ne  falle 

In  deedli  synne  neif  er  be  day  ne  ny^t.  20 


130 

Ihesu,  graunte  me  myne  askinge, 

Perfite  pacience  in  my  disese, 
And  neuere  mote  y  do  fat  f  ing 

pat  schulde  fee  in  ony  wise  displese. 

Ihesu,  fat  art  oure  heuenli  king,  25 

Soof  efast  god,  &  man  also, 
>eue  me  grace  of  good  eendinge, 

And  hem  fat  Y  am  holden  vnto. 

Ihesu,  for  f  e  deedly  teeris 

pat  f  ou  scheeddist  for  my  gilt,  30 

Here  &  spede  my  praiers, 

And  spare  me  fat  y  be  not  spilt. 

Ihesu,  for  them  y  f  e  biseche 

pat  wraff en  fee  in  ony  wise, 
With-holde  from  hem  fin  hond  of  wreche,  35 

And  lete  hem  lyue  in  f  i  seruice. 

Ihesu,  moost  coumfort  for  to  se 

Of  f  i  seintis  euerychoone, 
Coumfort  hem  fat  careful  been, 

And  helpe  hem  fat  ben  woo  bigoon.  40 

Ihesu,  keepe  hem  fat  been  goode, 

And  ameende  hem  fat  han  greued  fee, 

And  sende  hem  fruytis  of  erf eli  fode 
As  ech  man  nedif  in  his  degree. 

Ihesu,  fat  art  with-outen  lees  45 

Almy>ti  god  in  trynyte, 
Ceesse  f  ese  werris,  &  sende  us  pees 

Wif  lastinge  loue  &  charitee. 


131 

Ihesu,  fat  art  \>e  goostli  stoon 

Of  al  holi  chirche  in  myddil  erf  e,  so 

Bringe  fi  fooldis  &  flockis  in  oon, 

And  rule  hem  ri>tli  with  oon  hirde. 

Ihesu,  for  fi  blessidful  blood, 

Bringe,  if  f  ou  wolt,  f  o  soulis  to  blis 

For  whom  y  haue  had  ony  good,  55 

And  spare  fat  J>ei  han  do  a-mys.     Amen. 

HYMN    TO    JESUS    CHRIST 

53.  (B0IIC2)  Thornton  MS. 

Ihesu  Criste,  Saynte  Marye  sonne, 

Thurgh  whaym  f  is  werlde  was  worthily  wroghte, 

I  pray  f  e  come  and  in  me  wonne, 

And  of  all  filthes  dense  my  thoghte. 

Ihesu  Criste,  my  Godde  verray,  5 

pat  of  oure  dere  lady  was  borne, 
pou  helpe  now,  and  euer,  and  aye, 
And  lat  me  neuer  for  syn  be  lorne ! 

Iesu  Criste,  Goddes  sone  of  heuen, 

pat  for  me  dyede  one  f  e  rude,  10 

I  pray  f  e  here  my  symple  steuen, 

Thurghe  f  e  vertue  of  thi  haly  blude. 

Ihesu  Christ,  fat  one  f  e  thirde  daye, 

flra  dede  to  lyffe  rase  thurgh  thi  myghte, 

pou  gyffe  me  grace  the  serue  to  paye  15 

And  f  e  to  wirchipe  day  and  nyghte. 

Ihesu  of  whaym  all  gudnes  sprynges, 
Whaym  all  men  awe  to  lufe  by  righte, 


132 

Thou  make  me  to  ^eme  thi  biddynges, 

And  thaym  fullfill  with  all  my  myghte.  20 

Ihcsu  Crist,  pat  tholede  for  me 
Paynes  and  angers  bitter  and  felle, 
Late  me  neuer  be  partede  fra  j>e, 
Ne  thole  pe  bitter  paynes  of  helle ! 

Ihesu  Criste,  welle  of  mercy,  25 

Of  pete  and  of  all  gudnes, 

Of  all  pe  synnes  pat  euer  did  I, 

I  pray  pe  gyffe  me  forgyffnes. 

Ihesu,  to  pe  I  make  my  mane ; 

Ihesu,  to  pe  I  calle  &  crye,  30 

Late  neuer  my  saule  with  syn  be  slane 

ffor  pe  mekillness  of  pi  mercy. 

Ihesu,  pat  es  my  saueoure, 

pou  be  my  joy  and  my  solace, 

My  helpe,  my  hele,  my  comfortoure,  35 

And  my  socoure  in  ilke  a  place. 

Ihesu,  fat  with  thi  blude  me  boghte, 

Ihesu,  pou  make  me  clene  of  syn, 

And  with  pi  lufe  pou  wounde  my  thoghte, 

And  late  me  neuer  mare  fra  pe  twynne.  40 

Ihesu  I  couayte  to  lufe  the, 
And  pat  es  hally  my  ^ernynge ; 
pare-fore  to  lufe  j>e  pou  lere  me, 
And  I  thi  lufe  sail  [euer]  synge. 

Ihesu,  thi  lufe  in-to  me  Sende,  45 

And  with  thi  lufe  pou  me  ffede, 
Ihesu,  pi  lufe  ay  in  me  lende, 
Thi  lufe  euer  be  my  saule  mede. 


133 


Ihesu,  my  herte  with  lufe  j>ou  lyghte ; 

Thi  lufe  me  make  euer  to  forsake  50 

All  werldly  joy,  bathe  day  and  nyghte, 

And  joy  in  j>e  anely  to  make. 

Ihesu,  J)i  lufe  me  chaufe  with-in, 

So  )>at  na  thynge  bot  the  I  seke ; 

In  thi  lufe  make  my  saule  to  brynne,  55 

Thi  lufe  me  make  bathe  milde  and  meke. 

Ihesu,  my  joy  and  my  louynge, 

Ihesu,  my  comforthe  clere, 

Ihesu  my  Godde,  Ihesu  my  kynge, 

Ihesu  with-owtten  pere !  60 

Ihesu,  )>at  all  hase  made  of  noghte, 
Ihesu,  j>at  boghte  me  dere, 
Ihesu,  joyne  ]>i  lufe  in  my  thoghte 
Swa  fat  J?ay  neuer  be  sere ! 


Ihesu,  my  dere,  and  my  drewrye,  65 

Delyte  J?ou  arte  to  synge ! 

Ihesu,  my  myrthe,  and  my  melodye, 

In-to  thi  lufe  me  brynge ! 

Ihesu,  Ihesu,  my  hony  swete, 

My  herte,  my  comf  or  thynge  !  70 

Ihesu,  all  my  bales  J?ou  bete, 

And  to  }>i  blysse  me  brynge  ! 

Ihesu,  in  thi  lufe  wounde  my  thoghte, 

And  lyf te  my  herte  to  the ! 

Ihesu,  my  saule  f>at  pou  dere  boghte,  75 

Thi  lufere  mak  it  to  bee ! 

Now  Ihesu,  Lorde,  fou  gyffe  me  grace, 

If  it  be  thi  will, 

That  I  may  come  vn-to  thi  place, 

And  wonn  ay  with  the  sty  lie.     Amen.  80 


134 

ALYA   CANTICA 

54.  (B  £  II  c  3)    Trinity  Coll.  Cambridge,  MS.  B.  10.  12. 

Ihesu,  )?i  name  honourde  my^t  be 

wif>  al  J>at  any  lyfe  is  in, 
Nou,  swet  ihesu,  als  j>ou  made  me, 

J)Ou  kepe  me  ay  fro  dedely  synne ! 
Ihesu,  pe  sone  of  mary  fre,  5 

pe  joy  of  heuen  j?ou  graunt  me  wynne ; 
My  saule,  ihesu,  take  I  to  pe 

when  my  body  &  it  sal  twynne. 

Ihesu,  pi  name  in  me  be  sett 

als  j>ou  art  kynnge  &  lorde  of  lyght,  10 

&  graunt  me  grace  ai  bett  &  bett 

my  lyfe  to  mende  &  lyf  ay  ryght. 
Ihesu,  pi  sydes  wif>  blode  war  wett, 

&  dulefully  for  me  war  dyght ; 
j>ou  kepe  me  oute  of  syne  &  dett,  15 

now,  swete  ihesu,  ay  moste  of  myght ! 

Ihesu,  pi  name  is  hegh  to  neuen, 

&  ^it  I,  katyfe,  cry  &  kail, 
Ihesu,  me  helpe  &  brynge  to  heuen 

With  pe  to  won  my  synful  sail.  20 

Myghty  ihesu,  J>ou  here  my  steuen 

als  pon  me  boght  when  I  was  thrall, 
&  forgyfe  me  pe  synnes  seuen, 

for  I  am  gilty  in  j?aim  all. 

Ihesu,  my  lufe  &  my  lykynge,  25 

for  euere  more  blyste  mot  f>ou  be. 
Mi  lufely  lorde,  my  dere  darlynge, 

ful  wer  me  [fayne]  myght  I  pe  se, 


135 


Ihesu,  my  lorde,  fou  gar  me  synge, 

a  luf ely  kynge  is  comen  to  me ;  30 

my  swete  swetness  of  alkyn  thynge, 

my  hope  &  tryste  is  al  in  f  e. 

Ihesu,  me  helpe  euere  more  at  nede, 

&  fro  f  e  fende  fou  me  defende ; 
fou  sett  my  saule  in  lufe  &  drede,  35 

&  al  my  myse  fat  I  may  mende. 
Ihesu,  J>i  blude  fat  fou  walde  blede, 

fro  f  is  fals  lyfe  or  fat  I  wende 
fou  wesche  a  way  al  my  mysdede, 

&  graunt  me  blyse  with  outen  ende.     Amen.  40 

AN    ORISOUN    TO    pE    FYUE    WOUNDES    OF  IHESUS 

CRISTUS 

55.  (B  0  lie  4)  Vernon  MS. 

Ihesus,  fat  di^edest  vppon  f  e  tre 
And  f  oledest  def  for  loue  of  me 

And  for  myn  elder  sake, 
flrom  f  e  deuel  and  al  his  miht 
pow  kepe  me,  bof  e  day  and  niht,  5 

Wher  I  slepe  or  wake. 

Lord,  ^if  me  grace  to  worche  f  i  wille 
And  )>i  Comaundement  to  forf  fille, 

pat  heuene  may  beo  my  Meede. 
Ihesu,  bring  me  to  fi  Reste,  10 

pat  euere  wif-outen.ende  schal  leste, 

And  help  me  at  al  my  nede. 

Now,  God,  fat  died  on  f e  Rode 
And  f er-on  schedde  fin  herte-blode, 

And  of  Marie  was  boren,  15 


136 

Heer  me  whon  I  to  pe  calle, 
And  let  me  neuere  in  synne  falle, 
Ne  for  my  mis-dede  be  loren. 

Ihesu,  J)i  fyue  woundes  on  pe  Roode 

pat  pou  poledest  for  monnes  goode,  20 

Moot  my  socour  be. 
In  pe  worschipe  of  pi  wounde 
pat  pyn  herte  polede  in  pat  stounde, 

A  Pater  noster  sei  we.     Pater. 

In  pe  worschipe  of  pi  riht  honde  25 

pat  was  woundet  in  pe  holy  londe 

And  nay  led  to  pe  tre, 
Heere  to-day  my  preyere, 
As  wis  as  pou  bouhtest  me  dere 

Haue  Merci,  lord,  on  me.     Pater.  30 

Ihesu  lord,  fat  is  so  Mylde, 
ffrom  dedly  synne  J? ou  me  schilde 

Bope  day  and  niht ; 
Cumforte  me,  Ihesu,  wip  pi  sonde, 
As  wisliche  as  pi  luft  honde  35 

Was  nayled  wip  on-riht.     Pater. 

God,  schilde  my  soule  pat  day  fro  care 
Whon  hit  schal  from  my  bodi  fare ; 

Haue  Merci,  lord,  on  me, 
As  wis  as  I  leue  wel  and  wot  40 

pat  on  pe  goode  ffriday  pi  riht  fot 

Was  nayled  to  pe  tre.     Pater. 

As  wis  as  harde  to  pe  tre 

pi  lift  ffoot  was  nayled  for  me, 

Graunte  me  pi  grace,  45 


137 

pat  I  may  haue  J)i  Ioyful  reste, 
pat  wif-outen  ende  schal  leste 

And  seo  pi  louely  face.     Amen.     Pater. 


A   PREYER   TO   pE   FIUE    WOUNDES 

56.  (B  fi  II  c  5)  Vernon  MS. 

Ihesu  crist,  my  lemmon  swete, 

pat  di^edest  on  pe  Rode-tre, 

WiJ)  al  my  mint  i  pe  be-seche, 

ffor  pi  woundes  two  and  pre, 

pat  also  faste  mot  pi  loue  5 

In  to  myn  herte  ncched  be 

As  was  pe  spere  in  to  pin  herte 

Whon  pou  soffredest  dep  for  me. 

Ihesus  fat  di^edest  on  pe  Rode 

ffor  pe  loue  of  me,  10 

And  bouhtest  me  wif>  J)i  blode, 

pou  haue  Merci  of  me : 
What  me  lette)>  of  eny  ping 

ffor  to  loue  pe, 
Beo  hit  me  lef,  beo  hit  me  loj),  15 

pow  do  hit  a-wey  from  me.     Amen. 

INVOCATION   TO   THE   CROSS 

57.  (B  (3  II  c  6)  Rawlinson  MS.  B  408. 

^  of  ihesu  criste  be  euer  oure  spede, 

And  kepe  vs  from  perel  of  synnes  and  payne. 

Blessid  be  )>at  lorde  fat  on  pe  crosse  dide  blede, 
Crist,  god  and  man,  J?at  for  vs  was  slayne  : 
Dede  he  was  and  rose  vp  agayne.  5 


138 

Euer  helpe  us,  crosse,  with  hym  to  a-ryse 
Fro  deeth  to  lyue,  and  synne  to  dispise. 

Gracyous  crosse,  now  grawnt  us  fat  grace 
Hym  for  to  worship  with  al  oure  mynde, 
In  wordes,  in  werkes,  and  in  euery  place  10 

Knelyng  and  kyssyng  pe,  where  we  fe  fynde. 
Late  us  be  neuer  to  hym  vnkynde 
Mercyfully  fat  made  vs  to  be  men 
Nomore  to  kepe  but  his  heestis  ten. 

0  blissful  crosse,  teche  us  al  vertu  15 

Plesyng  to  god  for  oure  saluacion, 
Quenchyng  alle  vices  in  f  e  name  of  ihesu 
Raunson  payng  for  oure  dampnacion. 
Sende  us  suche  grace  of  conuersacion 

That  we  may  stye  and  glorified  be  20 

Where  crist  is  kyng  fat  dyed  on  tre. 

Crist,  fat  dyed  on  f  e  holy  roode, 

I  pray  f  e,  good  lorde,  with  al  my  myght, 
Sende  us  summe  part  of  al  thy  goode, 

And  kepe  us  from  yuel  euer  day  and  nyght,  25 

Contynuyng  f  i  mercy  sauyng  al  ryght. 
Titulle  of  f  i  passion  Poynt  us  saue 
As  to  thy  *Z*  reuerence  we  may  haue. 


GODRIC'S    SONG   TO   THE   VIRGIN 

58.  (B  p  II  d  1) 

Sainte  Marie  uirgine, 

moder  Iesu  Cristes  Nazarene, 

onfo,  scild,  help  fin  Godric, 

onfang,  bring  hehlic  wi<5  f  e  in  godes  ric. 


139 

Sainte  Marie,  Cristes  bur, 
maidenes  clenhad,  moderes  flur, 
dilie  mine  sinne,  rixe  in  min  mod, 
bring  me  to  winne  wiS  self  god. 


TO   THE  VIRGIN   MARY 

59.  (B/?IId2)  Harl.  MS.  2316. 

Marie,  )ow  quen !  )ow  moder !  ^ow  mayden  briht ! 
^ow  wilt !  ^ow  canst !  ^ow  art  of  miht ! 
^ow  lyf !  )ow  love !  )ow  hope  of  blisse ! 
In  sinne,  in  sorwe,  in  nede,  us  wisse ! 


ORACIO   AD   SANCTAM   MARIAM 

60.  (B  0 II  d  3)  Harl.  MS.  2382. 

fol.  86.b    Mary  moder,  welle  thu  be ! 
Mary  mayden,  thenk  on  me ! 
Maiden  &  moder  was  neuer  none 
to  geder,  lady,  saue  thu  allone. 
Swete  marie,  mayden  clene,  5 

shelde  me  fro  shame  &  tene ; 
and  oute  of  synne  thu  bryng  me, 
and  oute  of  dette  for  charite. 
Lady,  for  thi  ioyes  fyve, 

gete  me  grace  in  this  lyve  10 

to  knowe  &  kepe  euery  thyng 
cristen  feith  &  goddis  biddyng. 
And  truly  wynne  al  J?at  is  nede 
to  me  and  [mine]  clothe  and  fede. 
Help  me,  lady,  &  alle  myne ;  15 

Sheld  me,  lady,  fro  helle  pyne. 
Sheld  me,  lady,  fro  vilony, 


140 


and  fro  al  wikked  cuwpany. 
Sheld  me,  lady,  fro  wikked  shame, 
also  fro  al  wikked  fame.  20 

Swete  marie,  maiden  mylde, 
fro  the  fende  thu  me  shelde ; 
that  the  fende  me  not  dere ; 
Swete  lady,  thu  me  were. 

bothe  by  day  &  eke  bi  nyght ;  25 

Help  me,  lady,  with  al  j>i  myght. 
And  for  my  frendes  y  pray  the 
that  they  mowe  y  saued  be 
to  ther  sowles  &  to  \er  lyf, 

lady,  for  thi  ioyes  fyf.  30 

For  my  fomen  y  pray  al  so 
that  they  mow  here  so  do 
fol.  87.     that  they  not  in  wrathe  daye , 
swete  lady,  y  the  pray, 

and  tho  f>at  ben  in  dedly  synne  35 

lat  hem  neuer  dye  ther  ynne ; 
But,  swete,  thu  ham  rede 
for  to  amende  ther  mysdede. 
for  me,  lady,  jm  pray  heuene  kyng 
that  y  haue  shrift  &  housling,  40 

and  Jhesu,  for  his  swete  grace, 
grawnte  me  [to]  haue  in  heuene  a  place ; 
Lady,  as  y  trist  on  the, 
thes  prayers  thu  grawnte  me, 

whil  that  y  shal  here  lyve  45 

that  y  may  kepe  my  wittes  fyve, 
With  pater  noster  and  a  crede 
to  help  me,  lady,  at  my  nede. 
swete  lady,  ful  of  wynne, 

ful  of  grace  &  god  with  ynne,  50 

as  thu  art  flowr  of  al  \>\  kyn, 
Do  me  foly  for  to  blyn, 


141 

and  kepe  me  out  of  dedly  synne 
that  y  be  not  y  take  ther  ynne. 

Amen. 
Explicit. 

A   PREIERE   TO    VRE   LADI 

61.  (B  (3 lid 4)  Vernon  MS. 

Marie  Modur  and  Mayden :  Euere  wel  pe  be ! 
Modur  and  Mayden  mylde  :  Marie,  f>enk  on  me  ! 
Modur  bof>e  and  Mayden :  Was  per  neuere  non 
To-gedere,  ladi  Marie  :  But  f>i-self  al-on. 

Marie  Mylde,  fat  Modur  art :  And  mayden  hoi  and  clene,  5 
To-day  me  schilde  and  euere :  ffrom  serwe  and  herte-tene ; 
Marie,  out  of  synne  :  Euere  kep  f>ou  me, 
And  from  pe  deueles  cumbrement :  And  out  of  his  pouste. 

Marie  ful  of  Merci :  ffor  \>\  Ioyes  fyue 

Help  me  now  and  euere :  To  lyuen  in  clene  lyue ;  10 

And  for  pe  deo[l]ful  teres :  pou  lettest  vndur  pe  Rode, 

Send  me  in  my  lyue :  Grace  of  gostly  fode, 

Wher-wif>  I  may  my  soule :  Vche  day  her  f eden ; 

And  of  bodily  godus :  Mi  lyf  also  wi)?  leden. 

Help  me,  swete  ladi :  And  alle  frendes  myne,  15 

And  schild  us  here  from  alle  vr  fos :  And  from  helle-pyne ; 
Swete  ladi  of  heuene  :  Schild  us  from  worldus  schame, 
And  from  pe  deueles  wyles :  And  from  wikkede  fame, 
Nomeliche  from  dedly  sunne :  And  from  vilenye, 
And  from  alle-maner  folk :  Of  wikked  Cumpaignye.  20 

Swete  ladi  Maiden :  Godus  Moder  Milde, 
A^eynes  pe  fendus  turnes  :  pou  vs  euere  schylde, 
pat  no  wikkede  ping :  Neuere  vs  do  dere ; 
ffrom  sunne,  ladi,  euere :  pou  saue  vs  and  were. 


142 


In  alle  tymes,  ladi :  Bope  day  and  niht  25 

Help  us,  seinte  Marie :  Wip  al  py  meyn  and  mint. 

I  preye  pe  for  my  frendes :  And  eke  also  for  me, 

pat  we  moten  here  :  Amendet  beo  porw  pe ; 

As  mest  vr  soule  is  nedful :  And  also  to  vr  lyue, 

Marie,  mak  hit  so  :  Wip  us,  for  pi  Ioyes  fyue.  30 

Ladi,  for  myn  Enemys  :  I  preye  pe  also, 
pat  heo  in  pis  lyue  :  Moten  her  do  so 
pat  heo  neuer  in  synne  :  Ne  in  wrappe  dye ; 
Swete  ladi  Marie :  Herteliche  I  pe  preye. 

And  for  alle  pulke :  pat  ben  in  clene  lyue  35 

I  preye  pe,  Marie  :  ffor  pi  serwes  fyue ; 
Euere  whil  heore  lyf  laste :  per-Inne  pou  hem  holde, 
Bope  whil  pei  ben  ^onge :  And  eke  whil  p ei  ben  olde. 

For  alle  po,  ladi,  i  preye  pe :  pat  ben  in  dedly  synne ; 
Suffre  hem  neuere  for  no  ping  :  pat  pei  dye  per-Inne ;  40 

Swete  ladi  Marie  :  Heom  wisse  euere  and  rede, 
And  do  hem  amenden,  ar  pei  dyen :  heere  heore  misdede. 

Marie,  for  pi  Ioyes :  pat  blisful  weren  alle, 

Let  me  neuere  here  :  In  dedly  sunne  falle ; 

Preye  pou  pi  deore  sone  :  Ihesu  heuene-kyng,  45 

He  graunte  me  sopfast  schrif te :  Hosel  and  god  endyng, 

And  for  his  precious  blod :  And  his  holy  grace 

In  heuene-riche  wip  him-self :  pat  I  mowe  hauen  a  place. 

Marie,  as  my  trust :  Enterliche  is  in  pe, 

ffor  pi  leoue  sones  loue  :  peos  preyers  graunt  pou  me ;        50 

And  beo  myn  help  studefast :  To  gete  me  pat  blisse 

pat  euermore  schal  lasten  :  Wip-outen  eny  misse.     Amen. 


143 


ANOTHER   PRAYER   TO    THE   VIRGIN   MARY 

62.  (B  0  II  d  5)  Vernon  MS. 

Mary  Modur,  Qwen  of  heuene, 

penk  on  me  and  here  my  steuene  ! 
Marie  Meke  and  Mylde  of  mood, 
flor  loue  of  fat  holy  Rood, 

Marie,  fat  f  ou  se^e  on  Rode  5 

Whon  )?ou  bi  f  i  sone  stode, 

Marie,  fat  Ran  out  of  his  syde 
fforte  falle  f e  fendes  pryde, 

Marie,  )ii  me  knowynge  of  my  synne, 
And  let  me  neuere  die  f  er-Inne ;  10 

Marie,  schild  me  from  vueles  alle, 
And  let  me  neuere  in  fondynge  falle. 

Marie,  prei  for  me  f i  sone 
pat  myn  herte  euere  on  him  mone, 

Marie,  to  louen  him  ouer  alle  fyng  15 

Wif  herte  trewe  to  myn  endyng. 

Marie,  i  preye  f  e,  Meke  and  Mylde, 
flor  loue  of  f  i  swete  childe, 

Marie,  my  scheld  beo  a>eyn  f  e  fende 
Whon  I  schal  out  of  f  is  world  wende.  20 

Marie,  of  myn  ende  is  al  my  drede, 
Of  my  sunnes  and  of  my  misdede : 

Marie,  forf i  f ou  rewe  on  me, 
pat  I  f  orwh  f  e  may  I-saued  be. 

Marie,  Mi  flrendes,  quike  and  dede,  25 

pou  hem  wisse  and  f  ou  hem  rede, 

Marie,  In  to  fat  holy  blis 
per  Ihesu  crist  him-seluen  is. 

Marie,  at  my  def  whon  I  schal  fare 
Out  of  fis  world,  droupe  and  dare,  30 

Marie,  help  me  f  enne  as  on  of  f  yne, 


144 

And  bring  me  out  of  serwe  and  pyne, 
Marie,  in  to  blisse,  wif>  j?e  to  wone, 
ffor  Ihesu  loue,  pi  deore  sone.     Amen. 


AN  ORISOUN  TO  pE  FYUE  IOYES  OF  VRE  LADY 
63.  (Bj8lld6)  Vernon  MS. 

Marie  Modur,  wel  pe  bee ! 
Modur  and  Mayden,  J?enk  on  me 

ff or  pi  muchel  miht ! 
Marie  Mayden  meke  and  mylde, 
ffrom  mis-chaunce  to-day  me  schylde,  5 

pat  me  ne  dere  no  wiht.     Aue. 

Marie,  j>ou  hast  no  peere, 
Heere  to-day  my  preyere, 

pouh  I  vn-worf>i  be ; 
To  j?e  I  clepe  and  calle :  10 

As  J)OU  art  flour  of  alle 

pou  haue  Merci  of  me.     Aue. 

/ 
Marie  Modur  and  Mayden  eke, 

fTor  fat  Ioye  I  pe  by-seche 

pat  Gabriel  j>e  grette,  15 

pat  Ioye  me  kepe  day  and  niht 
ffrom  pe  deuel  and  al  his  miht, 

And  of  mis-dede  me  lette.     Aue. 

flor  f>e  Ioye  fat  God  was  boren 

Let  me  not,  ladi,  beo  forloren  20 

pat  pi  sone  bouht  dere, 
But  vndurfong  to-day  my  beode, 
pat  hit  may  stonde  me  in  sum  steode 

porwh  ]n  preyere.     Aue. 


145 

And  for  pe  Ioye  fat  fro  def  to  lyue  25 

God  vp-Ros  wif  woundes  fyue 

Vppon  f  e  paske-day, 
Beo-seche  fi  sone,  ladi  Mylde, 
ffrom  mischaunce  fat  he  me  schilde 

As  wis  as  he  best  may.    Aue.  30 

And  for  f  e  Ioye  God  steih  to  heuene 
On  holy  f  oresday  wif  mylde  steuene, 

Help  me,  ladi  of  mint, 
And  beo  bof  e  my  scheld  and  spere, 
pat  no  wikked  mon  me  dere  35 

Ne  deuel  bi  day  no  niht.     Aue. 

And  for  f  e  Ioye  aftur  f  yn  ende, 
Bi-fore  to  heuene  f  er  f  ou  dudest  wende 

In  Murf  e  and  Iolyte, 
Bryng  me  in  to  fat  reste  40 

pat  euer  wif-outen  ende  schal  leste, 

^if  f  i  wille  be.     Aue. 

Ladi,  flour  of  wymmen-kynne, 
^if  me  grace  f>i  loue  to  wynne. 

Mayden  feir  and  fre,  45 

And  let  me  neuer  for  no  synne 
ffor-go  fat  Ioye  fat  f>ou  art  Inne, 

AMEN  par  Charite.     Aue. 

HYMN   TO   THE   VIRGIN 

64.  (B  p  II  d  7)  Corpus  MS.  54,  D.  5.  14. 

Moder  milde,  flur  of  alle, 
p u  ert  leuedi  swuf  e  treowe, 
bricht  in  bure  &  eke  in  halle, 
J?i  loue  is  euer  iliche  neowe ; 


146 

on  f  e  hit  is  best  to  calle,  5 

swete  leuedi,  of  me  f  u  reowe, 
ne  let  me  neuere  in  sunnes  falle 
f  e  me  parked  bale  to  breowe. 

Riche  quene  &  maiden  bricht, 

f  u  ert  moder  swuf  e  milde ;  10 

min  hope  is  in  f  e  da>  &  nicht 

fat  f  u  me  sauchte  wid  fine  childe ; 

for  f  u  nult  noting  bote  richt. 

swete  leuedi,  f  u  me  sschilde 

fat  ic  non  )>ing  mid  unricht  15 

wurche  f  e  werches  f  e  beoS  towilde. 

Swete  leuedi,  ic  bidde  f  e, 

quen  of  heouene  f  er  f  u  ert  in, 

bisech  fin  sune  par  cherite 

fat  he  me  sschilde  from  helle  pin,  20 

for  f  er  nis  nouf  er  gome  ne  gleo, 

au^  f>er  is  pine  widute  fin. 

swete  leuedi,  sschild  )>u  me 

fat  min  soule  ne  cume  j>er  in.     Amen. 

IBLESSED   BEO   pU,   LAUEDI 

65.  (B  P II  d  8)  Egerton  MS.  613. 

[Ijblessed  beo  }>u,  lauedi,  ful  of  houene  Blisse, 
swete  flur  of  parais,  moder  of  milder[t]nisse ; 
pu  praie  ihesu  crist  \>i  sone  fat  he  me  i-wisse 
ware  a  londe  al  swo  ihc  beo  fat  he  me  ne  i-misse. 

Of  f  e,  faire  lauedi,  min  oreisun  ich  wile  bi-ginnen ;  5 

fi  deore  swete  sunnes  loue  f u  lere  me  to  winnen. 
wel  of  te  ich  sike  and  sorwe  make,  ne  mai  ich  neuere  blinnen, 
bote  f u  f ruh  fin  milde  mod  bringe  me  out  of  sunne. 


147 


Ofte  ihc  seke  merci,  fin  swete  name  ich  calle ; 

mi  flehs  is  foul,  fis  world  is  fals,  f  u  loke  fat  ich  ne  falle.     10 

Lauedi  freo,  fu  schild  me  fram  f  e  pine  of  helle, 

And  send  me  in-to  fat  blisse  fat  tunge  ne  mai  tellen. 

Mine  werkes,  lauedi,  heo  makief  me  ful  won ; 

wel  ofte  ich  clepie  and  calle,  f u  iher  me  forf an. 

Bote  ic  chabbe  f  e  help  of  f  e  of  er  i  ne  kan ;  15 

help  f u  me,  ful  wel  f u  mist,  f  u  helpest  mani  a  man. 

Iblessed  beo  f u,  lauedi,  so  fair  and  so  briht ; 

Al  min  hope  is  uppon  f  e  bi  dai  and  bi  nicht. 

helpe  f ruh  fin  milde  mod,  for  wel  wel  f u  mist, 

fat  ich  neuere  for  feondes  sake  fur-go  fin  eche  liht.  20 

Briht  and  scene  quen  of  houene,  ich  bidde  fin  sunnes  hore, 
f e  sunnes  fat  ich  habbe  i-cvn,  heo  rewwef  me  ful  sore ; 
wel  ofte  ich  chabbe  f e  fur-saken ;  f e  wil  ich  neuer  eft  more, 
Lauedi,  for  fine  sake  treuf en  feondes  lore. 

Iblessed  beo  f u,  lauedi,  so  feir  and  so  hende,  25 

f u  praie  ihesu  crist  f i  sone  fat  he  me  i-sende, 
whare  a  londe  alswo  ich  beo  er  ich  honne  wende 
fat  ich  mote  in  parais  wonien  wi-f uten  ende. 

Bricht  and  scene  quen  of  storre,  so  me  liht  and  lere, 
in  f is  false  nkele  world  so  me  led  and  steore  30 

fat  ich  at  min  ende-dai  ne  habbe  non  feond  to  fere, 
ihesu  mit  ti  swete  blod  f  u  bohtest  ful  me  deore. 

Ihesu,  seinte  marie  sone,  f u  iher  fin  moder  bone ; 

to  f  e  ne  dar  i  clepien  noht,  to  hire  ich  make  min  mene. 

f u  do  fat  ich  for  hire  sake  beo  imaked  so  clene  35 

fat  ich  noht  at  dai  of  dome  beo  flemed  of  fin  exsene. 


148 


SEINTE   MARI,   MODER   MILDE 

66.  (B  (3 II  d  9)  MS.  T.  C.  C,  B.  14.  39- 

Seinte  Mari  moder  milde, 

Mater  salutaris; 
Feirest  flour  of  eni  felde 

Vere  nuncuparis. 
Thorou  ihesu  crist  thou  were  wid  childe ;  5 

Thou  bring  me  of  my  thouhtes  wilde 

Potente, 
That  maket  me  to  dethe  tee 

Repente. 

Mi  thounc  is  wilde  as  is  the  ro  10 

Luto  gratulante. 
Ho  werchet  me  ful  muchel  wo 

Illaque  favente. 
Bote  yef  he  wole  wende  me  fro, 
Ic  wene  myn  herte  breket  a  two  15 

Fervore. 
Ic  am  ifaiht  bo  day  ant  naiht 

Dolore. 

Jhesu,  thorou  thi  muchele  miht 

Omnia  fecisti;  ao 

The  holi  gost  in  Marie  liht 

Sicut  voluisti. 
Forthi  he  is  icleped  ur  driht, 
Ihesu,  bring  my  thouht  to  Crist 

Constanter,  25 

That  it  be  stable  ant  nout  chaungable 

Fraudanter. 

Jhesu  Crist,  thou  art  on  loft 
Digno  tu  scandente; 


149 

Hevene  ant  erthe  thou  havest  iwrouht  30 

Victor e  triumphante; 
Monkun  wid  thi  bodi  abouht, 
Thou  noldest  lesen  hym  for  nouht, 

Nee  dare 
Ant  yeve  the  blod  that  was  so  god  35 

Tarn  gnare. 

Suete  levedi,  flour  of  alle, 

Vere  consolatrix, 
Thou  be  myn  help  that  I  ne  fall, 

Cunctis  reparatrix!  40 

Mildest  quene  ant  best  icorn, 
Niht  ant  day  thou  be  me  forn 

Precantis! 
Yef  me  grace  to  see  thi  face 

Injantisl  45 

That  I  thorou  thi  suete  bene, 

Tutrix  orphanorum, 
Mot  leven  al  this  worldes  tene, 

Solamen  miser  or  um; 
Ant  to  the  levedi  mot  I  take,  50 

And  myn  sunnes  al  fursake 

Volente, 
That  I  ne  misse  of  thine  blisse 

Poscente. 

AN   ORISON   TO   VR  LADY 

67.  (B /Slid  10)  Vernon  MS. 

Heil  beo  J>ou,  Marie :  Mylde  qwen  of  heuene ! 
Blessed  is  jn  Nome :  And  good  hit  is  to  nemene. 
To  )>e  i  Make  my  mone :  I  prey  }>e,  here  my  steuene, 
And  let  me  neuere  dye :  In  non  of  )>e  sunnes  seuene. 


150 

Ladi  seinte  Marie  :  Qween  Corteis  and  hende  !  5 

flor  f  e  Ioye  fat  f  ou  were  Inne  :  Whon  god  his  Angel  dude  sende, 
And  seide  fat  f  e  holygost :  Schulde  in  f  i  bodi  lende, 
pou  bringe  me  to  fat  blisse :  pat  is  wif -outen  ende. 

Ioyful  was  fin  herte,  ladi :  —  perof  haue  I  no  drede  — 
Whon  Ihesu  crist  was  boren  of  f  e :  ffeirest  of  alle  f  ede,  10 

And  fou  were  Maiden  biforn :  And  aftur,  as  we  rede. 
Marie,  for  f  e  loue  of  him :  Help  us  at  al  vr  nede. 

Swete  ladi,  f  ou  rewe  on  me :  And  mak  myn  herte  clene, 
Bring  us  out  of  sunne :  pat  do)?  us  traye  and  tene ; 
Wo  hit  vs  byginnef  :  In  werkes  as  we  han  sene  ;  15 

Schild  us  from  f e  peynes :  per  non  may  of  ur  mene. 

Ladi  ful  of  grace :  Ioyful  was  f  i  chere 

Whon  Ihesu  crist  from  def  vp  ros :  pat  was  f  e  lef  and  dere. 

Marie,  for  f  e  loue  of  him :  pat  lay  f  yn  herte  so  nere, 

Bring  us  out  of  synne  and  serwe :  While  fat  we  aren  here.    20 

Ladi  ful  of  muche  mint :  pat  mylde  art  of  mod ! 
ffor  his  woundes  fyue :  pat  Ronnen  alle  on  blood, 
ffor  f  e  loue  of  swete  Ihesu :  pat  dyede  on  f  e  Rod, 
Get  me  heuene  blisse :  Ladi  feir  and  god. 

Ladi  seinte  Marie  :  Corteis,  feir  &  swete  !  25 

ffor  loue  of  f e  teres :  pat  for  f i  sone  f  ou  lete 
Whon  f ou  se^e  him  hongen :  Nayled  honden  and  fete, 
pou  sende  me  grace  in  eorf e :  Mi  sunnes  forte  bete. 

In  counseil  art  f  ou  best :  And  trewest  in  eueri  nede, 

To  sunfol  men  ful  prest :  In  saumple  of  good  dede  :  30 

ffor  loue  of  f  i  deore  sone :  pou  se^e  on  Rode  blede, 

pou  help  us  nou  and  euere :  And  schild  us  from  mis-dede. 

Ladi  seinte  Marie :  So  Rose  in  Erber  rede, 

To  f  e  i  crie  and  calle  :  To  f  e  I  make  my  beode  : 

pou  help  me  at  myn  ende :  Whon  I  drawe  to  f  e  dede,  35 

And  let  me  neuer  falle :  In  bondes  of  f  e  quede. 


151 


Ladi,  for  pe  ioye :  pat  pou  pi-self  were  Inne 

Whon  pou  se^e  Ihesu  crist :  fflour  of  al  monkinne 

Steih  in  to  his  riche  :  per  Ioye  serial  neuer  Wynne, 

Of  Bale  pou  beo  my  bote  :  And  bring  me  out  of  synne.  40 

Ladi,  for  pat  Ioye :  pat.  pou  to  crist  weore  tan 
In  to  pe  blisse  of  heuene :  Wip  Aimgeles  moni  an, 
And  set  bi  swete  Ihesu  crist :  In  ffel,  in  flesch  and  bon, 
pou  bringe  me  to  pat  blisse :  pat  neuer  schal  beo  gon. 

Ladi  ful  of  grace  :  pat  hei>e  sittest  in  trone,  45 

Loue  of  alle  blisse  :  Send  pou  me  my  bone  : 

Ihesus  to  louen  and  drede :  My  lyf  to  amenden  sone, 

And  comen  to  him  pat  hende  :  pat  weldep  Sonne  and  Mone. 

For  pi  Ioyes  fyue  :  Ladi  feir  and  briht, 

ffor  pi  clene  Maidenhod  :  And  for  pi  muchele  miht,  50 

pou  ^if  me  miht  and  grace :  To  come  to  pat  liht, 

per  Ioye  is  euere  newe  :  And  day  wip-outen  niht. 

Ladi  seinte  Marie :  ^if  pi  wille  ware, 
As  pou  art  ful  of  Ioye :  And  I  am  ful  of  care, 
Schild  me  from  synne  and  schome  :  pat  I  falle  no  mare,        55 
And  send  me  hosul  and  schrift :  Ar  I  hepene  fare. 

Amen. 


THE   FIVE   JOYS    OF   THE   VIRGIN 

68.  (B  j3  II  d  11)   Jesus  Coll.  (Oxford)  MS.  I.  Arch  I,  29. 

Her  bigynnep  pe  vif  Blyssen  of  vre  leuedi  seynte  Marie. 

I  Leuedy,  for  pare  blisse 

pat  pu  heddest  at  pe  frume, 
po  pu  wistest  myd  iwisse 
pat  ihesuc  wolde  beo  pi  sune, 


152 

pe  hwile  we  beof  on  lyue  f  isse  5 

sunnen  to  don  is  vre  wune ; 
Help  vs  nv  fat  we  ne  mysse 

of  fat  lif  fat  is  to  cume. 

II  Moder,  blif  e  were  f  u  f  o 

hwanne  f  u  iseye  heouen-king  10 

Of  f  e  ibore  wif-vte  wo 

fat  scop  f  e  and  alle  f ing. 
Beo  vre  scheld  from  vre  ivo, 

and  yef  vs  fine  blessyng, 
And  bi-wyte  vs  euer-mo  15 

from  alle  kunnes  suneging. 

Ill  Leuedi,  al  myd  rihte 

f  u  were  gled  and  blif  e 
po  crist  f  ureh  his  myhte 

aros  from  def e  to  lyue,  20 

pat  alle  fing  con  dihte 

and  wes  i-boren  of  wyue. 
He  make  vs  clene  and  bryhte 

for  his  wundes  fyue. 

IIII  From  fe  Munt  of  olyuete  25 

f  o  f  i  sone  to  heouene  steyh 
pu  hit  by-heolde  myd  eye  swete, 

for  he  wes  fin  heorte  neyh. 
per  he  hauef  imaked  f  i  sete 

in  o  stude  fat  is  ful  heyh ;  30 

per  f  e  schulen  engles  grete 

for  f  u  ert  bof  e  hende  and  sleyh. 

V  pe  king  fat  wes  of  f e  ibore 
to  heouene  he  f  e  vette, 
To  fare  blisse  fat  wes  for-lore  35 

and  bi  hym  seolue  sette, 


153 


Vor  he  hedde  j?e  icore 

wel  veyre  he  }>e  grette. 
Blype  were  p\x  fer-vore 

po  engles  ]>e  imette.  40 

Moder  of  Mike  and  mayde  hende, 

ich  f>e  bidde  as  i  con 
Ne  let  pu  noht  )>e  world  vs  blende 

)>at  is  ful  of  vre  ivon. 
Ac  help  vs  at  vre  lyues  ende,  45 

pu  fat  bere  god  and  mon, 
And  vs  alle  to  heouene  sende 

hwenne  we  schulle  j>is  lif  for-gon. 

Ihesuc,  for  )?ire  moder  bene, 

fat  is  so  veyr  and  so  bryht,  50 

Al  so  wis  so  heo  is  quene 

of  heouene  and  eorfe,  and  pet  is  ryht, 
Of  vre  sunnes  make  vs  clene, 

and  yef  vs  J?at  eche  lyht, 
And  to  heouene  vs  alle  i-mene,  55 

louerd,  p\i  bryng,  for  wel  J>u  Miht. 


HYMN   TO   THE   VIRGIN 

69.  (B  P II  d  12)    MS.  No.  CCCXX  in  the  Library  of  New  College, 

Oxford. 

Swete  and  benygne  moder  and  may, 

Turtill  trew,  flowre  of  women  alle, 
Aurora  bryght,  clere  as  the  day, 

Noblest  of  he  we,  Jms  we  the  calle ; 

Lyle  fragrant  eke  of  the  walle ; 
Ennewid  wi)>  bemys  of  blys, 
In  whom  neuer  was  founden  mys. 


154 

So  fayre,  so  good,  was  neuer  non ; 

Transcendyng  is  ther-for  pi  place 
Aungels  alle  and  seyntis  echone  ;  10 

Next  vnto  god,  such  is  pi  grace. 

Lo,  ]>i  mekenes  pe  did  purchace 
Euer  in  ioy  so  to  endure 
In  f>i  grete  lande,  o  princes  pure. 

Surmountyng  is  J>in  excellence,  15 

Thou  rose  of  prys,  thou  flowre  of  may ; 

And  phebus  lyke  in  his  ascence, 
Natyff  of  blys  where  f>ou  art  ay, 
Lady  saunzpere,  f>is  is  no  nay. 

Empres  of  helle  also  of  righte,  20 

In  pe  is  eke  owre  anker  pight. 

Stormys  ageyne  of  cruell  syn 

That  puyssauntlye  us  do  assayle ; 
And  while  we  J?is  world  be  yn 

Now,  lady  fayre,  )>ou  us  not  fayle.  25 

Lat  neuer  vice  on  us  prevayle. 
Entrete  f>i  babe,  so,  quene  on  hie, 
In  whom  to  pe  is  no  denye. 

Si)>  here  is  nought  but  myserie ; 

The  fende,  pe  rleish,  pe  world  also,  30 

Assaute  us  ay  wi)>-oute  mercy. 

Not  comfortles  ^it  is  owre  wo ; 

Lady,  to  pe  resorte  we  do, 
Euyr  tristyng  thi  grace  and  ayde, 
In  whom  fully  owre  trist  is  layde.  35 

Sewte  and  servise  we  owe,  parde, 

To  )>i  hi^nesse  of  very  due, 
As  royall  most  by  pedigre, 


155 


None  lyke  of  grace  ne  of  vertu, 

Louely  lady,  pi  servauntes  trew,  40 

Entrikid  wif>  passiouns  wylde, 
In  tyme  of  nede  socour  and  shilde. 

Saue  hem  fro  syn  and  worldly  shame 

That  J>e  worship  with  humble  herte, 
And  to  f>i  son,  iesus  by  name,  45 

Not  sete  to  pray  that  we  not  smert. 

Lord,  fi  iugement  we  may  not  sterte ; 
Euere  f>erfor  thi  grace  us  hight, 
In  worship  of  f>i  modere  bright. 

By  William  Huchen. 


NOTES 


In  writing  these  notes  I  have  given  first  an  account  of  the  poem  under 
discussion,  the  publication  from  which  it  is  printed,  and  the  variants, 
where  found  in  manuscript,  and  where  printed.  The  classification  of  the 
variants  is,  with  a  few  exceptions,  original.  The  relationship  between 
the  various  poems  has  not  been  recognized,  chiefly  because  they  usually 
begin  and  end  differently,  and  only  one  who  has  occasion  to  study  the 
lyrics  minutely  would  be  struck  by  their  resemblance. 

In  the  textual  notes  I  have  been  little  concerned  with  the  meanings  of 
words  or  with  doubtful  interpretations.  I  have  considered  that  words 
common  in  Middle  English  literature  needed  no  explanation  here.  In 
fact  throughout  these  notes  I  have  felt  it  unnecessary,  except  in  a  few 
cases,  to  repeat  the  remarks  of  previous  editors ;  all  the  notes,  then,  in 
this  volume  are  my  own,  except,  of  course,  those  for  which  credit  is 
given.  My  interest  in  studying  these  lyrics  has  been  in  their  provenience. 
By  showing  in  detail  whence  the  poets  took  their  phrases,  their  peculiar 
turns  of  thought,  and  their  commonest  ideas,  I  have  tried  to  deduce  the 
conditions  out  of  which  these  poems  grew.  Such  a  study  involves  a  con- 
sideration of  the  influence  of  the  liturgy  and  of  French  secular  lyric 
poetry. 

The  chief  influence  discernible  in  these  poems  comes  from  the  liturgy. 
In  trying  to  show  the  extent  of  liturgical  influence,  and  how  the  most 
common  and  conventional  phrases  and  ideas  in  these  lyrics  come  directly 
from  that  source,  I  have  been  obliged  to  give  much  attention  to  lines 
which  otherwise  are  too  common  or  insignificant  to  demand  any  notice 
whatever.  By  collecting  all  lines  of  a  similar  nature  under  one  note,  in- 
stead of  several  repeated  notes,  I  have  attempted  to  show  how  great  this 
borrowing  has  been,  and  how  the  very  foundations  of  the  Middle  English 
religious  lyric  were  laid  in  the  daily  services  of  the  Church.  Further- 
more, in  an  effort  to  make  this  intimate  relationship  apparent  I  have 
carefully  avoided  quoting  from  any  but  frequently  used  services;  any 
parallel  passages  from  services  that  were  not  in  almost  daily  use  I  have 
omitted,  for  the  content  of  these  poems,  as  well  as  their  phraseology, 
comes  directly  from  the  devotions  that  were  heard,  read,  sung  and 
prayed,  not  daily  only,  but  several  times  daily,  by  poets  who  were  for 
the  most  part  priests  and  clerks  in  regular  orders. 

157 


158 

I  ought,  perhaps,  to  caution  one  reading  these  notes  against  consider- 
ing all  parallel  quotations  as  sources ;  I  do  not  mean  to  infer  by  simply- 
instancing  a  parallel  that  there  is  any  immediate  connection.  It  is  very 
easy  to  be  injudicious  in  employing  quotations,  and  in  most  cases  I  have 
cited  the  parallel  merely  to  show  that  the  idea  or  phrasing  was  common 
in  the  liturgy.  When  the  quotation  seemed  to  me  to  be  sufficiently  close 
to  prove  an  immediate  connection,  and  other  circumstances  seemed  also 
to  afford  evidence,  I  have  not  hesitated  to  express  my  conviction.  In 
comparing  ideas  common  to  the  liturgy  and  to  these  poems  too  great 
similarity  must  not  be  expected,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
services  of  the  Church  were  written  in  Latin,  French  and  English,  and 
also  that  they  took  varying  forms  according  to  the  use  of  each  particular 
church.  At  the  best,  quotations  of  this  nature  are  often  not  so  precise 
as  one  would  wish.  A  reader  turning  from  these  poems  to  the  liturgy 
of  the  thirteenth  century  will  doubtless  be  impressed  with  the  fact  the 
excerpts  in  these  notes  give  a  very  inadequate  conception  of  the  depen- 
dence of  these  lyrics  upon  the  Church  services.  General  ideas,  too  elusive 
to  be  paralleled  in  quotations,  detailed  phrases  and  the  choice  of  words 
too  slight  or  too  uncertain  to  justify  a  note,  suggest  at  every  turn  how 
immeasurably  great  is  this  indebtedness. 

In  this  connection  I  might  add  that  it  is  often  assumed  that  in  poetry 
as  conventional  as  the  Middle  English  religious  lyric,  passages  parallel 
to  lines  in  other  poems  or  treatises  may  easily  be  found,  but  that  such 
parallels  prove  little.  My  experience  has  been  that  it  is  not  easy  to 
find  exact  parallels,  either  in  ideas  or  phraseology.  It  is,  of  course, 
easy  to  find  a  single  idea  paralleled,  but  with  this  idea  there  are  usually 
one  or  more  other  thoughts  that  are  lacking  in  the  passage  compared,  as 
in  No.  48,  where  one  or  two  parallel  quotations  would  prove  nothing,  but 
the  continuation  of  the  parallels  puts  the  case  quite  beyond  doubt. 

The  relations  of  these  poems  to  French  lyric  poetry  have  been  more 
fully  treated  in  the  Introduction.  The  influence  of  the  French  lyric  was 
largely  one  of  spirit  and  approach,  and  is  usually  too  elusive  to  be  dealt 
with  in  any  but  a  general  manner.  I  have  given  a  few  parallel  passages 
from  French  manuscripts,  but  in  no  case  are  these  passages  to  be  con- 
sidered  as  anything  but  suggestive. 

The  full  titles  of  all  works  referred  to  will  be  found  in  the  Bibliography 
on  pp.  198  ff.  In  the  following  references  the  first  number  denotes  the 
volume  or  poem,  the  second  the  page  or  line;  as,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71-8,  volume 
71,  page  8,  or  2-5,  poem  2,  line  5. 

I 

From  the  Lay-Folks'  Mass-Book;    printed,    Simmons,  E.    E.    T.    S. 
71-8.     Variants  of  the  Mass-Book:  — 
A.   MS.  Jac.  V.  7,  27,  Advocates'  Lib.,  Edinburgh;  printed  Turnbull, 


159 

The  Visions  of  Tundale    together  with  Metrical  Moralizations  and  other 
fragments;  also  printed,  Biilbring,  Eng.  Stud.  35  (1905),  28-33. 

B.  Brit.  Mus.  Royal  MS.  17  B.  XVII. 

C.  Corpus  Christi  College,  Oxford,  MS.  155. 

E.  Gonville  and  Caius  College,  Cambridge,  MS.  84  (2). 

F.  MS.  in  the  Lib.  of  Henry  Yates  Thompson,  Esq. ;  MSS.  B,  C,  E} 
and  F  were  printed,  Simmons,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71 ;  MS.  B  also  printed,  Horst- 
man,  R.  R.  II,  1-8. 

D.  MS.  Gg  V  31,  University  Lib.,  Cambridge;  printed  Gerould,  Eng. 
Stud.  33  (1904),  1-27. 

This  poem  is  a  rendering  of  the  Confiteor  used  by  the  people  before  the 
Mass.  Simmons  by  a  careful  comparison  of  the  Mass-Book  with  the 
uses  of  different  churches  has  proved  that  the  original  was  in  French, 
and  was  probably  after  the  use  of  Rouen.  The  Confession  in  itself, 
however,  differs  but  slightly  from  those  generally  employed  at  the  time 
in  all  the  Western  churches.  The  form  of  Confession  employed  by  the 
priest  and  repeated  by  the  people  after  him  reads  thus :  — 

Ego  reus  &  indignus  sacerdos  confiteor  Deo  caeli,  &  Beatae  Mariae 
Virgini,  &  omnibus  Sanctis  ejus,  &  vobis  fratres  &  sorores,  quia  ego  miser 
peccator  peccavi  nimis  contra  legem  Dei  cogitatione,  locutione,  tactu, 
visu,  verbo,  mente,  &  opere,  &  in  cunctis  aliis  vitiis  meis  malis,  Deus,  mea 
culpa,  mea  culpa,  mea  maxima  culpa :  ideo  deprecor  te,  piissima  virgo 
Maria  &  omnes  Sancti,  &  Sanctae  Dei,  &  vos  fratres  &  sorores,  ut  oretis 
pro  me  miserrimo  peccatore  apud  Dominum  Deum  nostrum  omnipoten- 
tem,  ut  ipse  misereatur  mei.  Martene,  De  Ritibus,  Tom.  I,  Lib.  I,  c.  IV, 
art.  xii,  ord.  26. 

Renderings  of  the  Confiteor  are  frequent  enough  in  English  verse, 
though  they  seldom  follow  their  originals  so  closely  as  does  the  poem  in 
the  text.  There  is  an  unpublished  metrical  confession  in  MS.  No.  27, 
Emmanuel  Coll.     See  James,  pp.  22  fT. 


From  a  Treatise  of  the  Manner  and  Mede  of  the  Mass,  11.  233-244 ; 
printed,  Simmons,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71-134;  also  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117- 
499.  The  treatise  is  a  free  paraphrase  of  the  Lay-Folks'  Mass-Book. 
The  poem  follows  the  general  outline  of  the  Public  Confession.  The  first 
part  is  devoted  to  a  confession  of  sin;  the  second,  to  a  petition  for  mercy. 

1.  /  was  vn-kuynde.  Unnatural,  unfilial.  Parallel  passages:  And 
ofte  be  vnkynd  un-to  his  grace,  3-1 1 ;  I  am  unkuynde,  and  that  I  knowe, 
5-25;  Late  us  be  neuer  to  hym  vnkynde,  57-12  ;  All  though  we  haue 
seruyd  he  vnkyndely,  26-73.  The  sin  of  unkindness  is  thoroughly 
liturgical  and  patristic.  Cf .  the  Prymer  of  1 535  :  '  Keep  us  from  the  most 
damnable  sin  of  unkindness.'     Three  Primers,  p.  57. 

4.    pat  furst  me  wrourf.     Also  :  Graunt  merci,  for  k>u  madest  me,  5-65  ; 


160 

Ihesu,  lord,  hat  madist  me,  52-1.  This  idea  is  found  constantly  in 
the  lessons  in  the  Prymer;  cf.  Ps.  131:  'Ecce,  Domine  .  .  .  tu  for- 
masti  me';  also  the  rendering  in  the  Prymer  of  Ps.  119.  73:  'Thyn 
hondis  maden  me  and  fourmeded  me.'     Mask.  II,  163. 

5.  And  seWe  me  boiot.  Also:  6-19;  9-9;  21-n;  23-20;  27-18533- 
18;  43-76;  47-14;  5i-37;  53-62;  53-75;  55-29;  63-21.  All  these 
expressions  may  be  traced  back  to  the  liturgy,  and  especially  to  the 
antiphons  and  prayers  that  were  in  constant  use.  Cf.  the  antiphon  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  Gradual  Psalms :  '  Parce  domine,  parce  populo  tuo 
quern  redcmisti  precioso  sanguine  tuo,'  which  is  rendered  in  the  Prymer : 
'Spare  lord,  spare  to  thi  peple,  that  thou  hast  bou)t  with  thi  precious  blood.' 
Mask.  II,  95.  The  ultimate  source  of  the  idea  is  scriptural,  cf.  Acts  20. 
28:  'quam  acquisivit  sanguine  suo, '  which  he  hath  purchased  with  his 
blood  —  but  the  English  poet  took  the  phrase  from  the  words  which  he 
heard  daily  in  the  services. 

7.   per j ore.     Cf.  ideo  deprecor  of  the  Public  Confession. 

10.  Graunte  vslyue.  Also:  3-7;  5-60;  21-refrain;  22-28;  25-89; 
48-68.  These  phrases  are  all  translations  from  the  general  absolution 
employed  directly  after  the  Public  Confession.  Cf.  the  York  use :  'Ab- 
solutionem  et  remissionem  omnium  peccatorum  vestrorum,  spatium 
verae  paenitentiae  .  .  .  tribuat  vobis  omnipotens  et  misericors  Domi- 
nus.'     Surtees  Soc.  59-166. 


Printed,  Clark,  E.  E.  T.  S.  129-8.  The  extended  confessions  found 
so  widely  in  the  Prymers  and  religious  treatises  of  the  period  became 
somewhat  conventionalized  in  the  thirteenth  century  or  before.  It  is 
impossible  to  say  just  what  liturgical  model  the  poet  may  have  had  before 
him,  but  the  following  excerpts  from  a  prose  confession  in  a  'Prymer 
of  Salysbury  vse  —  newly  enprynted  at  Rowen.  M.ccccc.xxx.viij,'  will 
suggest  the  nature  of  these  conventional  rehearsals  of  sin :  — 

1  The  forme  of  conf essyon. 

'  Fyrst,  I  knowlege  my  selfe  gylty  unto  Almyghty  God,  unto  our  lady 
saynt  Mary :  and  to  all  the  company  of  heuen  .  .  .  that  ...  I  haue 
offended  my  lord  God  greuously,  and  specially  in  the  seuen  deedly  synnes. 
...  I  haue  synned  in  pryde  of  herte  ...  in  pryde  of  clotynge :  in 
strength:  in  eloquence:  in  beaute :  in  proude  wordes.  .  .  .  Also  I 
haue  synned  in  cnuy  .  .  .  wrathe  .  .  .  slouthe  .  .  .  couetyse.  .  .  . 
Also  I  haue  synned  in  brekynge  of  the  commaundements.  I  haue  not 
loued  my  lorde  God  aboue  all  thynge,  nor  my  neyghbours  as  myself e. 
.  .  .  Ferthermore  I  haue  synned  in  myspendyng  of  my  v.  wyttes.  .  .  . 
Also  I  haue  synned  in  not  fulfyllynge  of  the  vii  werkes  of  mercy  bodyly. 
.  .  .  Also  ...  in  not  fulfyllyng  the  vii  werkes  of  mercy  spirytuall.  .  .  . 


161 

Also  I  haue  not  used  the  gyftes  of  the  holy  Goost  to  the  honour  of  God. 
.  .  .  Also  I  haue  not  gyuen  tankes  to  our  Lorde  for  the  vii.  sacramentes.' 
Mask.  II,  274-278. 

Metrical  renderings  of  such  confessions,  or  of  separate  portions  of  them, 
are  frequent.  With  No.  3  should  be  grouped  the  following  poems  not 
printed  in  this  collection: 

An  oris oun  for  negligens  of  fie  X  Comaundemens.     E.  E.  T.  S.  98-36. 

A  Confession  for  negligence  of  pe  dedes  of  mercy.     E.  E.  T.  S.  98-34. 

An  orysoun  for  sauynge  of  />e  fyue  wyttes.     Ibid.  35. 

Dunbar's  Tabill  of  Confessioun.  Schipper,  Denksch.  d.  wien.  Akad., 
42-56. 
This  kind  of  verse-making  sesms  to  have  been  regarded  as  a  sort  of  re- 
ligious duty.  Even  as  gifted  a  poet  as  Dunbar  failed  to  give  it  literary 
merit.  Such  poems  are  interesting,  however,  as  showing  how  ideas  first 
expressed  in  the  sermons  and  treatises  of  the  Fathers,  and  then  estab- 
lished in  the  devotions  of  the  people,  were  incorporated  into  this  form  of 
poetry,  and  were  later  taken  over  into  more  permanent  and  higher  ex- 
pressions of  thought  in  the  non-liturgical  poems ;  in  some  cases,  indeed, 
surviving  yet  in  phrases  found  in  the  masterpieces  of  English  literature. 

7.    Cf.  2-10,  note. 

10.  In  werke,  in  worde,  in  fought,  in  token.  From  the  Public  Confes- 
sion.    Cf.  '  Cogitatione,  locutione,  tactu,  .  .  .  opere.' 

11.  Cf.  2-i,  note. 

12.  Sweryng  by  his  body,  or  by  his  face.  Cf.  the  Confession  quoted 
from  above:    'I  haue  customably  sworne  ...  by  his  swete  body.' 

18.  rede,  syng,  or  pray.  Take  part  probably  as  a  priest  or  clerk  in 
the  services  of  the  Church.  Cf.  the  York  Manual,  Preces  in  Dominicis 
Dicendae:  'We  shall  pray  also  for  all  prestes  and  clerkes  that  redys  or 
singes  in  this  chirche  or  in  any  other.'  Surtees  Soc.  63-123.  Cf.  also 
Blunt,  Myroure  of  our e  Ladye,  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  19-p.  3, 1.  3,  note. 

34.  spices,  kinds,  sorts;  cf.  Dan  Jon  Gaytryge's  sermon:  'And  of  Ms 
wikkede  synne  commes  some  sere  spyces,  boste  and  auauntynge,'  etc. 
E.  E.  T.  S.  26-11. 

43.    The  werkes  of  mercy.     Cf.  Matt.  25.  34-46. 

56.  Or  prayed  for  f?em  pat  dide  me  offence.  Cf.  Matt.  5.  44 :  'And  pray 
for  them  which  despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute  you/ 

57.  seuen  sacramentes.  Cf.  the  Confession  quoted  from  above :  'As 
the  sacrament  of  baptym :  of  confirmation :  of  penaunce :  of  the  body 
of  our  Lorde :  of  wedlocke :  of  preesthode :  and  of  enelynge.' 

66.  }if  I  shulde  nombre  fie  branches  especial.  A  common  method  of 
classifying  sins.  Dan  Michel  divides  Pride  into  seven  boughs  and  the 
boughs  into  twigs.     Ayenbite  of  Inwyt,  E.  E.  T.  S.  23-17. 

71.  The  subject-matter  of  this  paragraph  concerns  the  seven  gifts  of 
the  Holy  Ghost:    'as  the  gyfte  of  understandynge  .  .  .  wysdome  .  .  . 


162 

counseyle  .  .  .  science  .  .  .  strength  .  .  .  pyte  .  .  .  drede.'  Mask. 
II,  277.  Cf.  Isaiah  n.  2  :  'And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon  him, 
the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might, 
the  spirit  of  knowledge,  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord.' 


Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-19.  A  variant  of  a  portion  of  this 
poem  (11.  1-8  and  11.  13-44)  was  published  by  Furnivall,  Archiv.  98 
(1897)  129  and  later  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-785.  The  MS.  of  the  variant  is 
mutilated,  being  a  cut-down  leaf,  found  in  the  binding  of  a  book.  I  have 
printed  an  amended  version  in  M.  L.  N.,  January,  1910. 

15  ff.  Cf.  the  Confession  in  an  Office  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick, 
from  Brit.  Mus.  MS.  30,506:  'I  knowleche  to  god  and  to  owre  lady 
seynte  marie  and  to  alle  J>e  halwen  of  heuene,  that  I  have  senned,  with 
mowth  spoken,  with  feet  goon,  with  eyen  seven,  with  eren  hered,  with 
nose  smelled,  with  herte  bowht,  and  with  al  myn  senful  body  myswrowth.' 
E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  90-8. 

29.  Ne  }if  f>ou  me  none  niede  \  Aftur  my  sunfule  dede.  Also:  22-71 ; 
6-29  f.  Cf.  the  Litany  after  the  Gradual  Psalms :  'Domine,  non  secun- 
dum peccata  nostra,  facias  nobis :  Neque  secundum  iniquitates  nostras, 
retribuas  nobis,'  rendered  :  'Lorde  do  nat  with  vs  according  to  our  synnes: 
Neyther  rewarde  thou  vs  after  our  vngodlynes.'  Mask.  II.  106,  note 
96,  and  E.  E.  T.  S.  109-lxvii. 

31.  But  aftur  lord  />i  grete  pile  \  Ihcsu  lord,  asoyle  />ou  me.  Also: 
Asoyle  me  of  sunnc,  8-6.  Cf.  the  absolution,  Ordo  ad  Visitandam 
Infirmum  :  'Dominus  Jesus  Christus  pro  sua  magna  pietate  te  absolvat.' 
Surtees  Soc.  63-48. 

45.  Swete  ladi  seinte  marie.  Nearly  all  the  epithets  for  Mary  in  these 
poems  come  directly  from  the  liturgy  and  not  from  French  secular  poetry. 
The  title  of  lady  is  used  so  frequently  in  these  poems  that  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  note  the  places  where  it  occurs.  It  derives  from  the  liturgy ;  cf . 
the  early  use  of  it  in  the  Sequentia,  In  die  Assump.  b.  M. :  'tu  .  .  . 
domina  es  in  caelo  et  in  terra.'  From  Bod.  MS.  775,  written  in  the  reign 
of  Ethelred,  sometime  between  994-1017.  York  Missal,  Surtees  Soc. 
60-82. 

46.  fful  of  Alle  Curtesie.  Also  :  ladi  hendc  and  f re,  25-71  ;  Moder,  fid 
of  pares  hendc,  30-33  ;  so  feir  &  so  hende,  65-25  ;  Cor/eis  and  hendc,  67-5  ; 
Corteis,  feir  &*  swete,  67-25.  There  are  many  more  similar  passages  too 
numerous  to  quote.  These  ideas  and  phrases  come  directly  without 
doubt  from  the  French  secular  lyric,  especially  from  the  chansons  d 'amour 
(Introduction,  pp.  29  fl\).  Cf.  almost  any  French  lyric,  for  instance  the 
one  printed  on  p.  31,  Douce  dame  prous  et  cortose  et  saige.  The  idea  of 
Mary's  courtesy  and  beauty  was  doubtless  inherent  in  the  liturgy  (cf. 


163 

Sequentia  in  die  Assump.  b.  M.,  date  c.  a.d.  iooo:  'Tu  es  pulchra  Dei 
sponsa,  Tu  regem  Christum  enixa,  domina  es  in  caelo  et  in  terra ') ;  but  it 
did  not  develop  there.  The  nearest  approach  in  the  liturgy  to  the  de- 
scriptions in  the  text  is  in  a  late  and  additional  collect :  '  0  Marie  al  vertu 
makith  thee  fair'  (Mask.  II,  78).  Even  here  it  will  be  observed  that 
the  fairness  is,  as  in  all  liturgical  devotions,  more  a  moral  than  a  physical 
characteristic. 

47.  Modur  of  Merci  and  of  pile.  Cf.  the  Salue  regina,  Mater  miser  i- 
cordiae,  of  the  famous  antiphon  of  the  same  name. 

48.  Myn  hope,  myn  help  is  al  in  fie.  Cf.  the  antiphon,  Salue  regina 
in  the  Prymer:    'Modir  of  merci,  heil,  swetnesse  and  our  hope.' 

50.  In  help  of  al  vs  wrecches  here.  Cf.  the  antiphon,  Sancta  Maria, 
translated:    'Seynt  marie,  socoure  to  wrecchis.' 

51.  On  the  traditions  and  beliefs  that  link  these  poems  at  times  with 
the  legends  that  grew  up  in  connection  with  the  Virgin,  see  68-33,  note. 

59.  pe  flour  of  alley  \  pi  sone.  Cf.  'Res  p.  Stirps  Jesse  virgam  pro- 
duxit  virgaque  florem,  Et  super  hunc  rlorem  requiescit  Spiritus  almus. 
Vers.  Virga  Dei  genetrix  virgo  est,  flos  filius  ejus.'  In  die  Sanctac  Trin. 
Surtees  Soc.  63-190. 

68.  From  this  point  the  poem  is  a  paraphrase  of  the  litany.  Cf.  the 
Prymer:  'Seynte  Michael:  preye  for  us.  Seynte  Gabriel:  preye  for 
us.' 

71.  Holy  Patriarkes  and  prophetes.  Cf.  the  Prymer:  'All  holy 
patriarches  and  prophetis :    pray  for  us.' 

5 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-696;  previously,  Varnhagen, 
x\nglia  7  (1884)  313.  Variants:  Simeon  MS.  i29r;  also  Balliol  MS.  354, 
fol.  145  r-146  r;  printed,  Fliigel,  Anglia  26  (1903)  160;  also,  Dyboski, 
E.  E.  T.  S.  101-154. 

1.  For  the  influence  of  French  lyric  forms,  especially  of  the  chanson  a 
personnages,  on  the  setting  of  this  poem,  cf.  Introduction,  p.  ^8.  See  also 
below,  note  on  1.  89.  her  bi  weste,  in  no  way  suggestive  of  'local  color' ; 
cf.  'Bi  west,  vnder  a  wylde  wode-syde'  (E.  E.  T.  S.  117-658),  and  nu- 
merous other  introductions. 

8.  Ay,  Merci,  God,  And  graunt  Merci.  'I  take  Merci  to  be  used  in 
this  poem  in  the  twofold  sense  of  Mercy  and  Thanks  '  (Furnivall) . 
That  such  is  the  meaning  is  proved  by  the  refrain  of  the  Balliol  poem: 
'Nowmarcy,  Lorde,  &  gramarcy.'  These  words  were  a  favorite  prayer; 
cf.  MS.  Trinity  Coll.  Camb.  O.  2.  53.  fol.  73  (James,  III,  174):  'The 
Psalter  of  Ihesu  is  to  sey  ouer  the  first  pater  noster  thies  werdys  folowyng  : 
Ihesu  mercy  &  graunt  mercy.'  Likewise  Osbern  Bokenam  closed  many 
of  his  saints'  lives  with:  'Mercy  Jhesu  &°  gramercy.'  Cf.  Horstmann, 
Osbern  Bokenam's  Legenden,  pp.  36  ff. 


164 

io.   From  the  Public  Confession ;   cf.  3-10,  note. 

11.  Almihti  lord,  haue  Merci  of  me.     Liturgical. 

12.  pat  for  my  sunncs  pi  Mod  gon  schede.  Also:  32-15;  54-37;  and 
innumerable  other  expressions;  all  these  have  liturgical  sources.  Cf. 
for  illustration,  the  antiphon:  'Salvator  mundi,  salva  nos:  qui  per 
crucem  et  sanguinem  tuum  redemisti  nos.'  Surtees  Soc.  63-194.  Cf. 
2-5,  note. 

18.  Slightly  varied  from  I..13.  Such  repetition  of  entire  lines  within 
a  poem  is  very  common. 

19.  In  to  pe,  lord,  myn  herte  I  lifte.  Ultimately  from  the  Sursum  cor  da 
of  the  Mass  service.  The  expression  was  very  frequently  used  in  mystic 
treatises;  cf.  R.  R.  I,  147 :  'lift  *oure  herds  vp  to  me  bar  I  am  sittand 
on  mi  fader  right  hand.' 

22.  And  sle  me  nouyt  sodeynly.  Also:  46-13.  Cf.  the  Litany:  'A 
subitanea  et  improuisa  morte,  libera  nos,  Domine.' 

26.   kad.  Ball,  showed. 

30.  What  eueri  sonde.  Varnhagen  prints  euer  isonde,  which  is  pref- 
erable.    Cf.  the  Balliol  MS. :   What  so  euer  thow  sendyst. 

3$.  The  indebtedness  of  this  poem  to  the  extended  confessions  is  so 
evident  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  point  it  out  in  detail.  The  stanza  is 
entirely  omitted  in  the  Balliol  MS. 

45.  To  sle  my  soide  In  sunne  I  slepe.  The  idea  and  the  phraseology  are 
met  frequently  in  mystic  writings;  cf.  R.  R.  I,  135:  'As  be  apostle  sais 
in  bis  wordes :  "Surge  qui  dormis,  &  exurge  a  mortuis :  &  illuminabit  te 
Christus,"  bat  is,"  Rise  bou  bat  slepis  in  synne,  wakyn  &  rise  fra  bi  deade." ' 

60.    From  the  Absolution.     Cf.  2-10,  note. 

63.  In-to  pc  blisse  pat  neuer  schal  blynne.  One  of  several  paraphrases 
and  translations  of  the  endings  of  liturgical  prayers.  In  one  form  or 
another  these  phrases  have  come  into  the  lyrics  from  the  services,  usually 
occurring  at  the  end,  but  sometimes  as  here  in  the  body  of  the  poem. 

77.   The  familiar  doctrine  of  penance. 

83.  for  pou  woldest  not  pat  I  weore  lost.  Also  :  Thow  woldest  not  pat 
I  were  lore,  6-20 ;  Sojfre  pou  neuer e  pat  I  be  lost,  16-1 1.  The  idea  is  often 
found  in  liturgical  prayers ;  cf .  the  York  Manual :  '  Deus,  qui  non  vis 
mortem  peccatoris.'     Surtees  Soc.  63-40.* 

84  ff.  Cf.  St.  Edmund's  Mirror:  'Thre  thynges  pryncypaly  ere  in 
Gode,  bat  es  to  say,  Myghte,  Wysdome,  and  Gudnes.  Myghte  es  ap- 
propirde  to  Godd  be  ffadire.  Wysdome,  to  God  be  Son,  Gudnes,  to  God 
be  Haly  Goste.'  E.  E.  T.  S.  26-20.  Cf.  also:  'Te  myghte  of  ye  fader 
almygtty  |  Te  witt  of  ye  sonne  al  witty  |  Te  grace  and  ye  gudeness  of 
ye  holy  goste.'     Item  1023,  Thorpe's  Cat.  (1836). 

89.  The  poet  here  leaves  the  complaint  form,  which  he  has  been  follow- 
ing, and  closes  with  an  expression  of  his  own  thought  in  a  kind  of  envoi 
after  the  manner  of  the  French  poets  in  their  serventois  and  ballades. 


165 

Most  interesting  is  his  use  of  the  phrase,  Prince  of  alle  pite,  exactly  in 
accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  serventois  and  ballade  poets,  who  in 
their  envois  invariably  addressed  the  President  of  the  Puis  with  the  title 
of  Prince.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  elsewhere  the  Middle  English  poet  uses 
Lord  several  times,  but  never  Prince;  in  fact  this  title  as  applied  to  Christ 
is  of  rare  occurrence  in  these  lyrics ;  its  use  here  is  almost  conclusive  proof 
that  the  poet  was  entirely  conscious  that  he  was  following  foreign  models. 
Another  sign  of  French  influence,  coming  either  from  the  serventois  or  the 
ballade,  is  seen  in  the  metrical  form  of  the  poem.  Cf .  Schipper,  who  in 
speaking  of  a  poem  by  Dunbar,  says :  *  The  form  ...  is  that  of  the  old 
ballad-stanza,  consisting  of  eight  iambic  verses  of  five  beats,  the  eighth 
of  which  forms  the  burden  of  each  stanza.'  (Denk.  d.  Wien.  Akad.  d. 
Wissensch.  41-93.)  The  fact  that  the  line  in  this  poem  has  only  four 
beats  need  cause  no  trouble,  for  the  poets  seldom  adopted  all  the  character- 
istics of  a  foreign  model.  Lastly,  the  rhyme  scheme,  ababbcbc,  is  that 
of  the  French  and  English  ballades. 


Hitherto  unprinted.  Variants:  (A)  Lambeth  MS.  853;  printed 
Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  24-35.  (B)  MS.  Cotton.  Calig.  A  II  fol.  106,  v; 
printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  I,  197-200.  The  variants  are  interesting  in 
that,  though  of  different  lengths,  each  contains  more  lines  than  the  poem 
in  the  text.  The  Rawlinson  poet  may  have  felt  the  inconsistency  in 
having  emotional  and  didactic  matter  in  the  same  poem ;  at  any  rate  he 
has  left  out  almost  all  the  sermon  and  has  thereby  secured  a  greater  unity. 

15.   MS.  has  also;  doubtless  a  clerical  error  for  alas  of  the  Lambeth  MS. 

20.    Cf.  4-29,  note. 

73  ff.  This  realistic  manner  of  treating  the  subject  of  death,  which 
is  found  everywhere  in  the  religious  and  moral  poetry  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  owes  more  doubtless  to  the  seventh  lesson  of  the  Offices  of  the  Dead 
than  to  any  other  possible  source.  Cf.  the  ideas  and  realistic  manner 
of  the  following  excerpts :  '  My  spirit  shal  be  maad  feble,  my  daies 
shulen  be  maad  shorte,  and  oonli  the  sepulcre  is  left  to  me.  .  .  .  Lord, 
delyuere  thou  me  and  sette  thou  me  besidis  thee.  ...  Mi  daies  ben 
passed,  my  thoujtis  ben  wasted:  turmentynge  myn  herte.  ...  If  I 
susteyne,  helle  is  myn  hous :  and  I  haue  araied  my  beed  in  derknessis. 
I  seide  to  rott,  thou  art  my  fadir :  and  to  wormes,  ye  ben  my  modir  and 
my  sister.'     Mask.  II,  143. 

7 

Printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  49-192.  This  poem  shows  close  relation- 
ship with  the  Poema  Morale,  as  Ten  Brink  mentions  (Eng.  Lit.  I,  206  f., 
English  translation).  As  he  does  not  point  out  the  extent  of  the  in- 
debtedness, I  have  done  so  below. 


166 

2.  cirede,  fearful  (Morris). 

3-4.  Cf.  Poema  Morale,  11.  5-6:  'Ynned  lif  ich  habbe  ilad,  and  yet 
me  binkb  ich  lede ;  Hwenne  ich  me  bibenche,  ful  sore  ich  me  adrede.' 
E.  E.  T.  S.  49-58. 

8.  This  line  is  manifestly  corrupt.  Morris's  suggestion  that  wielde 
may  mean  would  does  not  help  matters.  It  may  be  that  wielde  is  an 
error  for  widde;  such  a  scribal  mistake  could  easily  have  been  made  —  at 
any  rate  the  sense  plainly  demands  the  preposition,  with,  hwucchere,  such 
like  (Morris).  With  the  general  thought  of  the  entire  passage  cf.  the 
familiar  response  in  the  Offices  of  the  Dead:  'Mi  soule  thristide  to  god, 
the  quyke  welle :  whanne  shal  I  come  and  appere  before  the  face  of  oure 
god?'     Mask.  II,  143. 

9  and  also  17.  Cf.  P.  M.  18 :  'Elde  is  me  bi-stolen  on  er  ban  ich  hit 
wiste.' 

10.  awai  to  late  ich  was  iwar ;  nu  hit  me  reowed  sore.  The  preacher  of 
the  Poema  Morale  had  declared  that  such  would  be  the  case :  '  be  wel  ne 
dob  hwile  he  may  hit  schal  him  sore  reowe.'    1.  22.     awai,  alas. 

18.  aiitte,  understand  ;  suhde,  sight.  Cf.  with  the  thought,  P.  M.  1.  19: 
'Ne  may  ich  bi-seo  me  bi-fore  for  smoke  ne  for  myste.' 

19.  leihe,  lye,  used  on  the  hair;  cf.  Withals  Diet.  (1568):  'Lie  to 
wasshe  the  head  with,  lixiuium.'     N.  E.  D.  q.v. 

20.  tohte,  bright. 

21.  Cf.  P.  M.  11 :  '  Al  to  lome  ich  habbe  agult  on  werke  and  on  worde. ' 

24.  Cf.  P.  M.  12  :  'Al  to  muchel  ich  habbe  i-spend,  to  lutel  i-leyd  an 
horde.' 

25.  Hord  fiat  ich  telle  is  ahncsse-dede,  etc.  The  author  of  the  P.  M. 
had  similar  ideas :  '  Sende  vch  sum  god  bivoren  him  be  hwile  he  may  to 
heouene ;  Beter  is  on  almes  bi-uoren  bane  beob  after  seouene.'   11.  28-29. 

29.   Repeated  from  1.  21. 

32.   i-yu3e,  permitted. 

34.   steowi,  subdue. 

8 

Printed,  Boddeker,  187  ;  previously,  Wright,  Spec,  of  L.  P.  47.  On 
the  stanzaic  form  see  Schipper,  Alteng.  Met.  p.  337. 

3.  Murthes  munnc,  to  think  of,  hence,  to  experience,  joys.  Cf.  N.  E.  D. 
s.v.  min.  Boddeker  has  the  note  :  'Das  aus.  v.  2  zu  erganzende  "madest" 
hat  hier  die  Bedeutung  "veranlassen,  lassen;"  "und  liessest  die  Men- 
schen  der  Freuden  pflegen.'" 

6.   Liturgical;  cf.  4-31,  note. 

8.  hither  c  lasUs,  wicked  sins. 

9.  firyftcs,  fortune,  condition,     punne,  sorry,  poor. 

11.  meyn,  strength. 

16.  fulcjlrt,  very  sorrowful. 

17.  waytcglcde,  'Wartefroh,  Hoffnungsnarr  '  (Boddeker). 


167 

29.   siwep,  folio  we  th. 

36.  lauendere,  mistress.  See  an  interesting  note  on  the  word  by 
Professor  George  Philip  Krapp  in  M.  L.  N.  17,  No.  4,  p.  205. 

59.  Ni/>e  ant  onde,  envy.  The  words  were  frequently  used  together ; 
cf.  Lam.  Horn.  65:  'Hwenne  we  habbeb  ni>  and  onde.'  N.  E.  D.  s.v. 
mm. 

61.   Lyare,  liar,     latymer,  interpreter. 

68.   lotes,  manners;  hence,  actions.     Cf.  N.  E.  D.  s.v.  late. 

86.  Dredful  def>.  The  tendency  seen  in  the  following  verses  and  in 
11.  52-63  toward  personification  is  not  marked  in  the  M.  E.  Rel.  lyric. 

89.  Careful  mon  yeast  in  care,  \  yfalewe  as  flour  y let  for />  fare.  Cf. 
the  fifth  lesson,  Offices  of  the  Dead  (Job  xiv.) :  'Homo  natus  de  muliere 
brevi  vivens  tempore,  repletur  multis  miseriis.  Qui  quasi  flos  egreditur, 
et  conteritur,'  and  translated  in  the  Prymer  :  'A  man  is  born  of  a  womman 
and  lyueth  short  tyme,  and  is  fillid  with  manye  wrecchidnessis :  which 
gooth  out  and  is  defoulid  as  a  flour.'     Mask.  II,  137. 


Printed,  Boddeker,  222;   previously,  Wright,  Spec,  of  L.  P.  99. 

1.  God  pat  al  />is  myghtes  may.  A  common  beginning  for  all  kinds  of 
M.  E.  poetry. 

2.  In  heuene  6*  erpe  py  wille  ys  00.  Suggested  perhaps  by  the  third 
petition  of  the  Lord's  prayer:  'Fiat  voluntas  tua  sicut  in  caelo  sic  in 
terra.' 

3.  Ichabbe  be  losed  mony  a  day.  A  constant  complaint,  especially  in 
the  earlier  poems.     Cf.  No.  5,  which  develops  this  theme  at  length. 

5.  lay,  OF.  lei,  law.  I  was  to  blame,  and  I  insisted  on  knowing  and 
following  my  own  religion,  not  thine. 

8.  vngreype,  unprepared. 

9.  Liturgical;    cf.   2-5,  note. 

10  ff.  The  thought  that  a  man's  good  deeds,  because  of  their  insig- 
nificance and  imperfection,  are  at  best  of  little  or  no  avail  in  the  final 
judgment,  is  frequently  expressed  in  the  liturgy;  cf.,  for  instance,  the 
response  after  the  sixth  lesson  in  the  Offices  of  the  Dead:  'Lord,  nyle 
thou  deeme  me  aftir  my  dede,  for  I  haue  don  no  thing  worthi  in  thi  sijt.' 
Mask.  II,  138. 

15.  When  y  myself  haue  pourh  soht  \  y  knowe  me  for  />e  worst  of  alle. 
Also  :  Ich  holde  me  vilore  pen  a  gyw,  1.  29  ;  pof  I  be  werst  in  my  lyfynge, 
22-18.  Cf.  R.  R.  1,  17 :  'And  neuer-he-latter  >ai  thynk  ham-self  vylest 
of  all,  &  haldes  ham  wretchedest,  leste,  &  lawest.  Ms  es  hali  mens  lyf : 
folow  it,  &  be  haly.' 

27.  My  meste  vo  ys  my  hues  trowe.  Boddeker:  'Der  Gedanke  ist: 
Mein  grosster  Feind  ist  das  Vertrauen  in  das  mir  gespendete  Lob  (dies 


168 

machte  mich  stolz  und  hielt  mich  von  Gott  fern).'  Dan  Michel  says 
that  this  sin  of  taking  delight  in  hearing  oneself  praised  is  the  second  twig 
that  grows  out  of  the  fifth  bough  of  Pride.     Ayenbite,  E.  E.  T.  S.  23-25. 

10 

Printed,  Simmons,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71-84.  From  the  York  Hours  of  the 
Cross.  The  poem  is  a  rendering  of  the  following  prayer:  'Domine  iesu 
Christe,  fili  dei  uiui,  pone  passionem,  crucem  et  mortem  tuam  inter 
iudicium  tuum  et  animas  nostras,  nunc  et  in  hora  mortis  nostre ;  et 
largiri  digneris  uiuis  misericordiam  et  gratiam,  defunctis  veniam  et  re- 
quiem, ecclesie  regnoque  pacem  et  concordiam,  infirmis  sanitatem,  et 
nobis  peccatoribus  vitam  et  gloriam  sempiternam.  Qui  vivis  et  regnas 
deus,  Per  omnia  saecula  seculorum.     Amen.'     E.  E.  T.  S.  71-85. 

II 

Printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  II,  226.  In  the  last  part  of  the  MS. 
volume  in  which  this  poem  is  found  are  a  number  of  sermons  by  William 
Herebert,  a  Franciscan  friar  and  preacher;  following  these  are  a  few 
metrical  translations,  among  which  are  the  poem  in  the  text  and  Nos. 
42  and  44  with  the  following  note:  'Istos  hymnos  et  antiphonas  quasi 
omnes  et  cetera  transtulit  in  anglicum,  non  semper  de  verbo  ad  verbum, 
sed  frequenter  sensum  aut  non  multum  declinando,  et  etiam  manu 
scripsit  f rater  Willelmus  Herebert.  Qui  usum  hujus  quaterni  habuerit, 
oret  pro  anima  dicti  fratris.'  Date,  c.  1330.  See  P.  Meyer,  Notice  et 
Extraits  du  MS.  8336  de  la  Bibliotheque  de  Sir  Thomas  Phillipps  a  Chelten- 
ham.    Rom.  13  (1884)  536.     See  also  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  I,  86. 

It  has  never  been  pointed  out  that  the  poem  is  a  rendering  of  the  Re- 
sponse and  Versicles  following  the  ninth  lesson  in  the  Exsequiae  Defunc- 
torum,  Use  of  Sarum  : 

'Responsorium.  Libera  me,  Domine,  de  morte  aeterna  in  die  ilia  tre- 
menda,  Quando  caeli  movendi  sunt  et  terra,  Dum  veneris  judicare  saecu- 
lum  per  ignem  (11.  1-3). 

'Versus.  Dies  ilia,  dies  irae,  calamitatis  et  miseriae:  dies  magna  et 
amara  valde.  Quando  caeli,  et  dicitur  usque  ad  Dum  veneris  tantum 
(11.  4-10). 

'Versus.  Quid  ergo,  misserrimus  quid  dicam  vel  quid  faciam,  dum 
nil  boni  perferam  ante  tantum  judicem  ?  '  (11.  13-14). 

io-n.  Translated  from  the  Response  after  the  eighth  lesson:  'Re- 
quiem aeternam  dona  eis,  Domine :  Et  lux  perpetua  luceat  eis.'  Sur- 
tees  Soc.  63-71*  ff. 

12 

Printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  I,  235;  also  Matzner,  p.  51.  Other 
versions  are:  (1)  MS.  Digby  86;  printed,  Stengel,  p.  104.  (2)  MS. 
Emmanuel  College  (Cambridge),  No.  27;   described,  James,  p.  22  ff. 


169 

A  rendering  of  the  liturgical  prayer  used  by  St.  Anselm  in  the  Office 
of  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick  (Migne,  Patrol.  Lat.  158-685  ff.).  It  was 
thus  well  known,  and  appears  in  various  forms  in  the  religious  poetry 
of  the  time.  Anselm  took  the  prayer  from  Ps.  xxx,  6  :  'In  manus  tuas 
domine,  commendo  spiritum  meum;  redimisti  me,  Domine  Deus  veri- 
tatis.' 

13 

Printed,  Simmons,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71-200.  Variants:  Balliol  MS.  354, 
leaf  209 ;  printed  Fliigel,  Anglia  26  (1903)  221 ;  Dyboski,  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S. 
101-62.  Talbot  Hours  MS.  Beaucamp  MS.  See  note  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S. 
101-179.  The  variants  are  not  found  alone,  but  form  only  one  stanza 
of  several  prayers  entitled  respectively:  'Vnto  the  Fader  .  .  .  Vnto 
be  Sonne  .  .  .  Vnto  be  Holy  Gost  .  .  .  Vnto  the  Trinite  .  .  .  Vnto 
owr  Lady  .  .  .  Vnto  be  angellis  .  .  .  Vnto  be  propre  angell  .  .  .  Vnto 
John  Baptist  .  .  .  Vnto  be  Appostillis  .  .  .  Vnto  be  martires  .  .  .  Vnto 
be  confessowrs  .  .  .  Vnto  all  holy  monkis  &  erimitis  .  .  .  Vnto  be  virgyns 
.  .  .  Vnto  all  Sayntis.'  The  entire  poem  should  have  been  printed  in 
this  group,  as  illustrating  poems  built  upon  the  litany,  but  because  of  its 
conventional  character  I  have  been  content  merely  to  refer  to  it. 

14 

Printed,  Wright,  Songs  and  Carols,  Percy  Soc.  23  (1847)  76.  Poems 
modeled  upon  the  litany  are  frequently  found.  With  this  poem  should 
be  placed  the  variant  forms  of  13  (see  note  above) ;  the  confession,  No.  4, 
also  employs  the  litany. 

3-4.  These  lines,  forming  the  refrain,  correspond  in  a  general  way  to 
the  Ora  pro  nobis  of  the  Litany.  The  Litany  of  the  poem  follows  the 
Use  of  York  very  closely. 

5-6.  Cf.  the  Litany:  'Bi  thin  hooli  passioun  and  moost  piteuous 
deeth:    lord,  delyuer  us.'     Mask.  II,  102. 

7.  Cf.  the  same  Litany:  'Fro  dredeful  pereles  of  oure  synnes:  lorde 
delyuere  us.' 

8.  Cf.  'Fro  endeles  dampnacioun :  Lord  delyuer  us.' 
20.    Cf.  'Alle  ordris  of  hooly  spiritis:  prei  for  us.' 

15 

Printed,  Simmons,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71-40;  in  the  Lay-Folks'  Mass-Book. 
See  1,  note.  Metrical  prayers  for  use  during  the  Mass  are  of  ten  found. 
Myrc  (E.  E.  T.  S.  31-10),  after  giving  a  metrical  prayer  very  similar  to 
No.  16,  adds:  'Teche  hem  bus  ober  sum  bynge  |  To  say  at  the  holy 
sakerynge.'  Cf.  with  this  poem  '  A  preyer  at  be  leuacioun.'  E.  E.  T.  S. 
98-24. 

7.  hot  fcou  bids  aske,  &•  we  shal  haue.  Cf.  Matt.  7.  7:  'Ask,  and  it 
shall  be  given  you.' 


170 

8.  swele  ihesu,  make  me  saue.  From  the  liturgy ;  cf .  the  Response  after 
the  seventh  lesson,  Exseq.  Defunct.:  'Deus  .  .  .  salvum  me  fac';  and 
rendered  in  the  Prymer:  'God  .  .  .  make  me  saaf.'  Mask.  II,  144. 
The  expression  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  liturgical  prayers  and  re- 
sponses as  well  as  in  the  Psalms. 

16 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-25. 

1.  I  fie  honoure  wifi  al  my  miht,  etc.  Cf.  the  similar  prayer  used  during 
this  part  of  the  Mass  Service:  'Domine  Jesu  Christi  .  .  .  adoro  et 
veneror  hoc  sacrosanctum  corpus  .  .  .'  Surtees  Soc.  59-199. 

13.  ladi  of  Merci  most.  Cf.  the  second  lesson,  Horae  BVM. :  'Seynt 
marie  moost  piteuous  of  alle  piteuouse  wymmen.'     Mask.  II,  10. 

17 

Printed,  Fehr,  Archiv.  106  (1901)  272.  This  poem  is  based  upon  the 
incident  related  in  Matt.  15.  21-22:  'Et  egressus  inde  Jesus  secessit  in 
partes  Tyri  et  Sidonis.  Et  ecce  mulier  Chananaea  a  finibus  illis  egressa 
clamavit,  dicens  ei :   Miserere  mei,  Domine  fili  David.' 

3.  Welle  of  man  and  pyte.  Liturgical;  but  cf.  as  more  directly  to 
the  point  the  vii  Prayer  in  the  'xv  00s':  'O  Blessyd  Jesu,  well  of 
endlesse  pyte.'     Mask.  II,  258. 

6.  Thou  came  fro  heuen  fro  thi  se.  Evidently  11.  6-9  are  the  words 
of  the  woman.  If  so  fro  thi  se,  doubtless  seemed  appropriate  to  the 
poet  from  the  description  of  the  woman's  country  given  in  the  Gospel: 
'Then  Jesus  went  thence,  and  departed  into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 
And,  behold,  a  woman  of  Canaan  came  out  of  the  same  coasts.'  (Auth. 
Vers.) 

18 

Printed,  Clark,  E.  E.  T.  S.  129-11. 

2.  For  Mar  yes  prayers  and  al  pi  sayntes.  Very  common  in  liturgical 
prayers ;  cf .  the  rendering  of  the  prayer,  Pietate  tua,  in  the  Prymer : 
'For  thi  pite,  Lord,  we  bisechen  the  unbinde  the  bondes  of  alle  oure 
synnes :  and  thoru)  the  priere  of  the  blessid  and  glorious  evere  lastynge 
maide  Marie,  with  alle  thi  seintes.  .  .  ."     Mask.  II,  222. 

19 

Printed,  Clark,  E.  E.  T.  S.  1 29-11. 

6.  Grannt  me  of  youre  merites  a  participacion.  A  paraphrase  probably 
of  a  clause  in  some  liturgical  prayer ;  cf .  the  prayer  in  the  Exseq.  Defunct. : 
'et  tuae  redemptionis  facias  esse  participes.' 


171 


20 


Printed,  Simmons,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71-350.  Anonymous  metrical  prayers 
to  the  saints  are  of  rare  occurrence  in  Middle  English. 

3-4.    Cf.  the  York  Prayer,  printed  above,  p.  168:    'pone  passionem, 

crucem  et  mortem  tuam  inter  iudicium  tuum  et  animas  nostras,  nunc  et 

in  hora  mortis  nostre.' 

21 

Hitherto  unprinted.     No  variants.     Built  upon  Ps.  53  (Auth.  Vers. 

54). 

1-2.  Cf.  Ps.  53.  3  :  'Deus  in  nomine  tuo  salvum  me  fac  et  in  virtute 
libera  me.' 

3.  The  idea  of  the  sinner  as  diseased  and  of  God  as  the  physician  is 
prominent  both  in  the  Bible  and  the  liturgy. 

6.  endeles  mercy.  Cf.  the  xi  prayer  of  the  'xv  00s ' :  '0  Blessyd  Jesu, 
depnes  of  endles  mercy.'     Mask.  II,  259. 

8.   From  the  absolution  after  the  Public  Confession;  cf.  2-10,  note. 

9-10.  'Deus  exaudi  orationem  meum,  auribus  percipe  verba  oris.' 
v.  4. 

16.  A  portion  of  a  word  is  crossed  out  and  mende  is  written  in  the 
margin. 

17-19.  'Quoniam  aliene  insurrexerunt  in  me  et  fortes  quesierunt 
animam  meam  et  non  proposuerunt   Deum  ante   conspectum  suum.' 

25-26.  'Ecce  enim  Deus  adjuvat  me  et  Dominus  susceptor  est  animi 
mei.'    v.  6. 

33-34.  'Avert  mala  inimicis  meis  et  in  veritate  tua  disperde  illos.' 
v.  7. 

41-42.  'Voluntarie  sacrificabo  tibi  et  confitebor  nomine  tuo  Domine 
quoniam  bonum  est.'     v.  8. 

45-48.  These  lines  are  probably  reminiscent  of  various  prayers  in  the 
Mass.  With  11.  45-46  cf.  for  instance:  'Supplices  te  rogamus  .  .  .  ut 
quotquot  ex  hac  Altaris  participatione,  sacrosanctum  Filii  tui  Corpus  et 
sanguinem  sumpserimus  omni  benedictione  caelesti  et  gratia  repleamur.' 
Surtees  Soc.  59-188. 

49-50.  'Quoniam  ex  omni  tribulatione  eripuisti  me  et  super  inimicos 
meos  respexit  oculus  meus.'     v.  9. 

54.  Salve  me,  Lorde,  of  mercye  and.  In  a  different  hand,  over  an 
erasure ;    indistinct. 

57.   The  Gloria  Patri  which  follows  the  Psalm  in  the  Prymer. 

59.   The  line  is  partly  erased. 

22 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  i5a-i33- 

3.  f>e  werlde,  my  flesch,  fie  fende,  felly.      Very  common  in  religious 


172 

treatises.  Maskeil  (II,  145)  has  an  interesting  note  on  the  wood-cuts 
that  appear  before  the  ninth  lesson,  Offices  of  the  Dead,  in  the  printed 
editions  of  the  Prymer.  '  Commonly  we  find  a  woman  with  a  child  in 
her  arms,  before  whom  are  placed  the  evil  spirit,  a  man  holding  a  globe, 
and  a  woman  with  flowers  in  her  hand.  .  .  .     The  verses  below  are : 

C"A  chylde  that  is  in  to  this  worlde  comyng, 
Is  hardely  beset  with  many  a  fo : 
Whiche  euer  is  redy  to  his  vn-doyng, 
The  worlde,  the  fleshe,  the  deuyll  and  dethe  also."' 

18.    Cf.  9-15,  note. 

25.  To  />i  lyknes  />ou  has  me  made.  Also  1.  61.  Cf.  the  prayer  in  the 
Commendationes  Mortuorum:  ' Antequam  nascere  novisti  me;  ad  im- 
aginem  tuam,  Domine,  formasti  me.'  York  Manual,  Surtees  Soc.  63-93. 
The  thought,  which  of  course  is  Biblical,  is  very  common  in  liturgical 
prayers. 

28.   A  reminiscence  from  the  absolution.     Cf.  2-10,  note. 

52.  or  more  or  lesse  like  day  to  synne.  Cf.  the  famous  response :  'Pec- 
can  tern  me  quotidie.' 

57.  Dispyce  me  noit,  swete  lorde  ihesu,  \  I  am  />e  warke  of  />in  aghen 
hende.  Cf .  the  antiphon  in  the  Exseq.  Defunct. :  '  Opera  manuum  tuarum, 
Domine,  ne  dispicias.'     Surtees  Soc.  63-63. 

61.  fiou  has  me  made  to  fri  lyknes;  \  thurgh  synne  I  hafe  loste  heuenly 
mede.  Cf .  St.  Edmund :  '  Wit  bou  hat  when  God  made  all  creaturs  of 
noghte,  we  rede  noghte  bat  he  made  any  creature  till  his  lyknes  bot  man 
allanne.  .  .  .  Bot  as  tyte  als  we  twyn  fra  bat  lele  lufe,  for  lufe  of  bis  lyfe 
...  we  losse  be  lordeshipe  of  Ms  worlde,  and  becommes  thralles  dreryly 
to  be  deuelle,  bare  we  ware  be-fore  fre,  and  ayers  of  be  erytage  of  be 
kyngdom  of  heuen.  .  .  .  Bot  when  he  hade  made  vs  man,  and  gafe  vs  be 
saule  to  his  awen  lyknes  ...  for  to  be  ayers  of  be  erytage  of  heuen.' 
Mirror,  E.  E.  T.  S.  26a~3i. 

71-74.   Liturgical;    cf.  4-29,  note. 

89.  Myne  heretage  forsoth  feat  is.  Cf.  note  above :  'for  to  be  ayers  of 
be  erytage  of  heuen.' 

106.  />ou  art  my  lorde,  feou  art  my  brother.  Also  40-10.  Cf.  Matt. 
12.  50 :  '  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven, 
the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister  and  mother.' 

in.  Cf.  the  Litany  for  the  Dying:  'Libera,  Domine,  animam  servi 
tui,  sicut  liberasti  Sussannam  de  falso  crimine.'  York  Manual,  Surtees 
Soc.  63-56*.  The  reference  was  rather  popular ;  thus,  Custance  in  the 
Man  of  Lawe's  tale  appeals  to  God:  'Immortal  god,  that  savedest 
Susanne  Fro  false  blame,'  etc.    Skeat,  IV,  148. 

143-144.  Cf.  Matt.  5.  39  ff. :  'But  I  say  unto  you,  That  ye  resist  not 
evil :  but  whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the 


173 

other  also.  .  .  .  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good 
to  them  that  hate  you.' 

159  ft".  Cf.  Matt.  7.  21:  'Not  everyone  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord, 
Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will 
of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.' 

170.  &  wot  neuere  whore,  ne  how,  ne  when.  This  thought  formed  the 
substance  of  many  popular  rhymes.  Cf .  these  verses  of  the  early  thirteenth 
century,  found  in  MS.  Arundel  292 : 

'Wanne  I  ftenke  "Singes  $re, 
Ne  mai  hi  nevre  bliSe  ben ; 
#e  ton  is  dat  I  sal  awei, 
$e  toSer  is  I  ne  wot  wilk  dei, 
tfe  ftridde  is  mi  moste  kare, 
I  ne  not  wider  I  sal  faren.'    Rel.  Antiq.  I,  235. 

The  idea  can  be  traced  back  to  St.  Gregory. 

23 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-29.  This  poem  has  an  analogue, 
or  more  probably  a  source  in  an  unpublished  French  poem  of  48  lines  in 
Bodley  MS.  57,  fol.  6  d.  A  variant  of  the  Bodley  poem,  but  later  and  of 
only  13  verses,  is  found  in  Digby  MS.  86,  fol.  200,  v°.  It  is  to  be  noted 
that  in  both  the  Bodley  and  Digby  MSS.  the  poem  is  ascribed  to  St. 
Edmund  of  Canterbury,  author  of  the  Speculum  Ecclesiae.  M.  Meyer 
(Romania  35-575)  seems  to  doubt  this  ascription  of  authorship ;  he  says : 
'Est-il  l'auteur  de  la  priere  qui  lui  est  attribute  .  .  .  ou  bien  n'avons- 
nous  ici  qu'une  traduction  en  vers  d'une  priere  composee  en  latin  pour 
ce  saint  personnage,  c'est  ce  que  je  ne  saurais  dire.  Quoi  qu'il  en  soit, 
cette  oraison  n'est  pas  mentionnee  dans  Particle  que  lui  a  consacre 
l'Histoire  litteraire  (XVIII,  253-269).'  Thomas  Tanner,  however,  in 
his  Bibliotheca  Britannico-Eibernica,  quoted  by  Mr.  T.  A.  Archer  in  the 
Dictionary  of  National  Biography,  mentions  a  French  prayer,  'Oratio,' 
and  refers  to  MS.  Omn.  Anim.  Oxon.  No.  11.  None  of  the  catalogues 
of  All  Souls  College,  Oxford,  that  I  have  consulted  contains  any  reference 
to  such  a  poem ;  Tanner  may  be  referring  to  the  Bodley  or  Digby  poem. 
There  is  a  curious  similarity  in  thought,  phrasing,  and  religious  emotion 
between  this  prayer  and  certain  parts  of  the  Speculum;  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  St.  Edmund  is  the  author  of  the  poem.  The  saint  wrote  other 
works  in  French,  so  the  use  of  that  language  instead  of  Latin  need  cause 
no  surprise.  For  further  bibliography  see:  P.  Meyer,  Notice  du  MS. 
Bodley  57,  Romania  '35  (1906)  577;  Stengel,  Codicem  Digby  86,  p.  102; 
T.  A.  Archer,  Diet,  of  Nat.  Biog.  s.v.  Edmund  (Rich)  Saint.  I  print  the 
beginning  and  close  of  the  French  poem  from  M.  Meyer's  description  in 
Romania. 


174 


Oracio  sancti  Eadmundi  archiepiscopi  Cant. 

Duz  sire  Jhesu  Crist,  aiez  merci  de  mei, 
Ke  del  eel  en  tere  venistes  pur  mei, 
E  de  la  virgine  Marie  nasquistes  pur  mei, 
E  en  la  croiz  mort  suffristes  pur  mei. 

Merci  vus  cri,  mun  Jesu,  mun  sauveur, 

Mun  solaz,  mun  confort,  ma  joie,  ma  ducur. 

Osteiz  de  mun  quer  orguil,  ire  e  rancur, 

Ke  jo  vus  puisse  a  gre  servir  e  amer  cum  Seignur. 

Mut  vus  dei  ben  amer  kar  vus  me  amastes  avant. 

1.  44     Pur  mei  mesmes  vus  requer  e  pur  tut  mes  amis, 
Numeement  pur  N.  et  pur  les  autres  morz  e  vifs : 
Mustrez  nus  el  jugement  la  clarte  de  vostre  vis 
E  mettez  nus  trestuz  ensemble  en  la  joie  de  paradis.     Amen. 

24 

Printed,  Horstman,  R.  R.  I,  368. 

25 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-16.  Variant,  MS.  Thornton,  fol. 
six,  v° ;  printed,  Perry,  E.  E.  T.  S.  26-75  I  also  Horstman,  R.  R.  I,  365. 

36.    Grace  was  a  special  attribute  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;   cf.  5-84,  note. 

39-40.  for  Marie  hue,  fiat  Maiden  fre,  |  In  whom  foou  lihtest,  verrey- 
tnent.  Also:  66-21;  67-7;  30-18.  Cf.  Luke  1.  35:  'And  the  angel 
answered  and  said  unto  her,  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and 
the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee.' 

41.  ladi  Meoke  and  mylde.  Also:  63-4;  32-35;  60-21;  64-10; 
66-1 ;  67-1 ;  67-21.  These  constantly  used  epithets  for  the  Virgin  are 
thoroughly  liturgical ;  they  go  back  ultimately  to  the  Magnificat  (Luke  1. 
46-55)  used  in  evensong  in  the  Horae,  BVM.,  and  in  other  services,  in 
which  Mary  sings :  '  Quia  respexit  humilitatem  ancillae  suae ; '  rendered 
'For  he  bihelde  the  mekenesse  of  his  handmaide.'  Cf.  also  the  hymn, 
Virgo  singularis,  the  first  verse  of  which  is  translated  in  the  Prymer: 
'  Maiden  aloone  meek  among  alle  othir.'     Mask.  II,  68. 

49.  Mayden  dene.  Also :  60-5 ;  67-50.  All  these  epithets  come 
directly  from  the  liturgy,  where  the  purity  of  the  Virgin  is  constantly 
celebrated.  Cf.  the  response  in  the  first  lesson  of  the  Horae,  BVM. : 
'Hooli  maidenhood  and  with  oute  wem.'     Mask.  II,  10. 

58.  Of  alle  wimmen  /wu  bcrcst  />e  flour.  Also:  63-43  ;  63-11 ;  64-1. 
These  expressions,  though  influenced  by  French  poetry,  are  ultimately 
liturgical  in  origin;  cf.  the  antiphon,  Aue  regina  celorunt,  'o  marie,  flour 
of  virgyns  as  the  roose  or  the  lilie.' 


175 

64.  Me  bi-houe/>  J?ou  beo  my  counseilour.  Also :  Of  kare  counseil  pou 
ert  best,  32-10.  This  idea  may  be  liturgical  in  origin;  cf.  the  Prymer, 
An  Orisoun  to  oure  ladi :  '  Modir  of  chast  counceil ; '  the  prayer,  how- 
ever, is  late,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  idea  in  the  places  quoted 
above  may  have  been  influenced  by  French  secular  poetry,  where  it  con- 
stantly occurs ;  cf.  Bern  MS.  389:  'Ne  sai  consoil  de  ma  uie  |  se  dautrui 
consoil  nen  ai  |  car  cil  mait  en  sa  baillie  |  cui  fui  et  seux  et  serai  |  por 
tant  seux  sa  douce  amie.'     Wackernagel,  xxxiii,  53. 

91-92.   Liturgical ;    cf.  2-10,  note. 

101  ff.     Liturgical  ending.     Cf.  5-63,  note. 

26 

Hitherto  unprinted.  Described,  Cat.  of  the  Harl.  MSS.  II,  177. 
Variant,  Lambeth  MS.  583,  p.  54;  printed  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  24-18. 
The  Lambeth  poem  is  14  lines  longer,  and  is  in  many  ways  a  better  version. 

1-4.  A  paraphrase  of  the  opening  of  the  Creed;  cf.  a  similar  para- 
phrase in  Mask.  II,  242  :  'I  byleue  stedfastely  in  my  lord  god  almymty, 
that  is  fadur  and  sone  and  holy  goost,  thre  persones  and  on  god.' 

8.   Lambeth  MS. :   In  pis  world  is  hard  aventure. 

9-10.  For  who  so  most  ys  in  assure  \  Sonnest  is  slayne  And  shent. 
A  reference  perhaps  to  Proverbs  16.  18 :  'Pride  goeth  before  destruction, 
and  an  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall.' 

1 1- 1 2.  Whan  thou  this  world  with  fyre  shalt  pure  \  do  mercy  to  fore  thy 
jugement.  Cf.  the  response  after  the  fifth  lesson,  Vig.  Mort.:  'Ne  re- 
corderis  peccatamea,  Domine,  Dum  veneris  judicare  saeculum  per  ignem.' 
Surtees  Soc.  63-70*.  Whan:  the  Lambeth  MS.  has  Or  which  makes  a 
better  reading,  but  lacks  the  literal  translation  that  the  Harleian  poet 
seems  to  have  preferred. 

13-16.  A  translation  and  amplification  of  the  versicle  in  the  famous 
responsorium  after  the  ninth  lesson,  Vig.  Mort.:  'Nunc,  Christe,  te  peti- 
mus  miserere,  quaesumus,  qui  venisti  redimere  perditos,  noli  damnare 
redemptos.'     Surtees  Soc.  63-71*. 

17-18.  Cf.  the  response  after  the  eighth  lesson:  'Quia  in  inferno 
nulla  est  redemptio.'    Ibid. 

25.  We  aske  mercy  of  rightnesnesse ;  i.e.  of  the  righteousness  of  God. 
With  11.  25-26  cf.  Rom.  10.  3-4:  'For  they  being  ignorant  of  God's 
righteousness,  and  going  about  to  establish  their  own  righteousness  have 
not  submitted  themselves  unto  the  righteousness  of  God.' 

35.    Cf.  22-33,  note. 

38.  mercy  A  boue  thy  workes  alle.  Cf.  the  Craft  of  Deyng:  'fore  godis 
mercy  is  abwne  al  his  werkis,  and  he  may  nocht  deny  mercy  treuly 
askyt.'     E.  E.  T.  S.  43-3. 

39.  Cf.  St.  Edmund's  Mirror:  'ffor  whene  we  ware  twynnede  fra 
Godde,  our  sweteste  ffadire,  and  be-come  thralles  to  J>e  ill  gaste,  than  he 


176 

.  .  .  sente  his  awen  Sonne  .  .  .  and  one  his  manere  did  he  he  dede.' 
E.  E.  T.  S.  26a-32. 

48-54.  Probably  from  St.  Edmund:  'To  summe,  beoing  wih-oute 
more,  as  to  stones ;  to  summe  beoing  and  liuing,  as  to  treon ;  to  summe 
beoing,  liuing,  and  felyng,  as  to  beestes ;  to  summe  being,  liuing,  felyng, 
and  vnderstonding,  as  to  Angeles  and  to  Mon.  .  .  .  Men  haue  beo- 
inge  wih  stones,  Liuynge  wih  herbes,  ffelynge  wih  Beestes,  Resoun  wih 
Angeles.'  Horstman,  R.  R.  I,  245.  The  thought,  however,  originated 
with  St.  Gregory.  It  occurs  three  times  in  his  works,  whence  it  was  often 
quoted.  Gower  cites  it  thrice.  Cf.  Mr.  Macaulay's  note  on  11.  945  ff. 
of  the  Prologue  of  the  Conjcssio  Amantis. 

55.  Lambeth  MS.  has  :  pou  baddist  foat  alle  schulde  multiplie.  But  we 
ben  fals  6*  necligent.  With  this  cf.  St.  Edmund  in  the  same  paragraph 
from  which  the  above  is  taken :  '  and  thynke  how  it  es  grete  myghte  to 
make  all  thynges  of  noghte  and  ...  to  multyply  ham  ilk  a  day  for  oure 
prowe.  A !  mercy  Godde !  how  we  are  vnkynde !  .  .  .  We  distruy 
ham  ilke  a  day  &  he  ham  multyplies.' 

59  fT.  Cf.  the  prayer  in  the  Mirror:  'In  manus  tuas  Domine  .  .  . 
commendo  in  nocte  (vel  die)  animam  meam  et  corpus  meum  et  patrem 
et  matrem,  fratres  et  sorores,  amicos  familiares  .  .  .  custodi  nos,  Domine 
in  hac  nocte,  (vel  die)  per  merita  &  intercessionem  beate  Marie  et  omnium 
sanctorum,  a  vicijs,  a  concupis[c]encijs,  a  peccatis,  et  temptacionibus 
diaboli.'     E.  E.  T.  S.  26a-i9. 

65.  Cf.  the  Litany  for  the  Dying:  'Ab  hoste  iniquo:  libera  et  de- 
fende  animam  ejus,  Domine.  Ab  insidiis  et  laqueis  diaboli,  libera  et 
defende  animam  ejus,  Domine.'     Surtees  Soc.  63-54*. 

69.  Cf .  the  versicle  after  the  ninth  lesson,  Vig.  Mort. :  '  Quid  ergo, 
miserrimus,  quid  dicam  vel  quid  faciam  Dum  veneris  judicare  saeculum 
per  ignem?'  And  the  paraphrase  of  these  lines  in  No.  12:  'Ich  am 
overgard  agast,  and  quake  al  in  my  speche.' 

67.  There  is  no  such  promise  in  the  Gospel  narratives  nor  in  any  of 
the  religious  treatises  that  I  have  read.  The  passage  has  evidently  been 
corrupted  in  copying,  for  the  Lamb.  MS.  reads:  ' And  sufire  him  not 
oure  soule  away  to  take  \  For  whiche  on  roodc  fiou  were  torent.'  The  poet 
was  perhaps  forced  into  the  assertion  of  1.  67,  after  having  written  the 
preceding  line,  by  the  necessity  of  a  rhyming  word  for  jugement  in  1.  70. 
With  1.  67  cf.  Hebrew  13.  5 :  '  For  he  hath  said,  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor 
forsake  thee.' 

75-76.   Liturgical. 

77.  Cf.  Mark  16.  16:  'He  that  believeth,  and  is  baptized,  shall  be 
saved.' 

81.  Cf.  the  Prayer  in  the  York  Horae :  'Domine  iesu  Christe  .  .  . 
pone  passionem  .  .  .  inter  iudicium  tuum  et  animas  nostras.'  Cf.  10, 
note. 


177 


27 

Printed,  Boddeker,  193 ;  previously,  Wright,  Spec,  of  L.  P.,  Percy 
Soc.  4-59. 

10-15.  The  setting  proper,  which  has  been  influenced  by  the  French 
lyric  setting ;  cf.  Introduction,  p.  39. 

26-27.   Liturgical  ending. 

28 

Hitherto  unprinted.  Described,  Gregory  Smith,  Spec,  of  Mid.  Scots, 
p.  lxx.  Variant,  Balliol  MS.  354  fol.  144^-145^ ;  printed,  Fliigel,  Anglia 
26  (1903)  157  ;  Dyboski,  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  101-52. 

1.  To  the,  maist  peirlas  prince  of  pece.  Cf.  Is.  9.  6:  'For  unto  us 
a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given  :  and  the  government  shall  be  upon 
his  shoulder:  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor, 
The  mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace.' 

3.  Let  neuir  thi  micht  be  mer cites  \  Til  man  that  thou  has  maid  of  clay. 
Also:  To  take  my  kuynde  of  clay,  23-11.  Cf.  the  third  lesson,  Vig. 
Mort.  (Job  x.) :  '  Manus  tuae  fecerunt  me,  et  plasmaverunt  me  totum 
in  circuitu  .  .  .  Memento,  quaeso,  quod  sicut  lutum  feceris  me.' 

8.  Miserere  mei,  Deus.  Undoubtedly  from  the  response  after  the 
seventh  lesson,  Vig.  Mort.:   'Miserere  mei,  Deus  et  salve  me.' 

10.  Sail  fallou  and  faid  \  as  dots  a  flour.  This  idea  is  prominent  in 
the  religious  and  moral  poems  of  the  fifteenth  century,  especially  in  those 
which  employ  the  Ubi  sunt  motive.  Nearly  all  such  passages  in  Middle 
English  poetry  seem  to  have  been  influenced  by  the  lessons  from  Job  in 
the  Offices  of  the  Dead.  Cf.  with  stanza  2  the  fifth  lesson:  'Homo 
natus  de  muliere,  brevi  vivens  tempore,  repletur  multis  miseriis,  Qui 
quas  flos  egreditur,  et  conteritur,  et  fugit  velut  umbra  et  numquam  in 
eodem  statu  permanet.' 

14.   Erasure  or  imperfection  in  MS. 

50.  Mary  consawit  throw  gabriell  stevin.  Cf.  the  Prymer:  'Heil  thou, 
virgyne  modir  of  crist,  that  bi  eere  conceyuedist :  thur?  gabriels  message.' 
Mask.  II,  73. 

57.  Thou  lat  thi  pece  spred  and  spring.  A  welcome  relief  from  the  line 
ever  present  in  the  poems  of  Jacob  Ryman,  and  elsewhere,  Let  thy  pity 
spread  and  spring.     The  Balliol  MS.  has  the  conventional  verse. 

61.  Cf.  John  19.  19  :  'And  Pilate  wrote  a  title,  and  put  it  on  the  cross. 
And  the  writing  was,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  The  King  of  the  Jews.' 

29 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-755  ;  previously  in  Archiv  97  (1896) 
311.     A  ryme-beginning  poem.     Furnivall. 

2.  haf  pite  of  me  and  merci  !  Quite  in  the  mood  of  the  French  secular 
lyric. 

N 


178 

7.  Liturgical;  cf.  3  -10,  note. 

8.  The  connected  stanzas  indicate  French  influence ;  cf.  Introduction, 
P-  32. 

13  ft".    Cf.  the  Litany  for  the  Dying:  '  Ab  incursu  malignorum  spiritum: 
libera  et  defende  animam  ejus  Domine.'     Surtees  Soc.  63-54*. 


30 

Printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  53-255.  Date,  'before  A.D.  1300.' 
Morris. 

1.  Edi  bco  fiu.  Cf.  the  Salutation,  Benedicta  tu,  which  is  found  as 
the  first  line  of  many  responses  and  versicles  in  the  Horae,  BVM.,  as  e.g. 
after  the  first  lesson,  'Blessed  be  thou  among  alle  wymmen.'  Mask. 
II.  10. 

henene  quene.  Also:  14-n;  32-33;  64-18;  66-41.  All  these 
passages  go  back  ultimately  to  the  liturgy ;  cf .  the  Sequentia,  in  die  Purif. : 
'Virgo  .  .  .  regina  caeli.'     Surtees  Soc.  60-20. 

2.  folkes  froure  6°  engles  Mis.  Cf.  with  11.  1-2  the  York  Missal,  In  die 
assump.:  'Benedicta  tu  in  mulieribus    |    Quae peperisti pacem hominibus 

I  Et  angelis  gloriam?     Surtees  Soc.  60-83. 

3.  Moder  unwcmmed  &  Maiden  clene.  Cf.  the  Horae,  BVM.,  response : 
'Aftir  the  birthe  thou  dwelledist  unwemmyd  virgyne.'  Mask.  II,  54. 
Cf.  also  25-49,  note. 

5-7.  These  lines  may  have  their  ultimate  origin  in  the  liturgy  in  the 
responses  of  the  Horae,  BVM.,  but  they  are  in  spirit  essentially  in  the 
manner  of  French  lyric  poetry ;  one  is  tempted  to  say  that  they  owe  little 
to  the  liturgy. 

7-8.  The  last  two  lines  of  each  stanza  form  a  kind  of  refrain.  The 
spirit  is  entirely  after  the  manner  of  the  chansons  d'amour. 

9.  fiu  aste}e  so  fie  dai}  rcwe.  Cf.  the  Prosa,  De  Assump.  B.  M. :  'velut 
sol  micans  cuncta  conscendisti  globorum  luminaria,  lucerna  nitens  inter 
choros  angelorum.'     Date,  994-1017.     Surtees  Soc.  60-294. 

11-12.  Cf.  John  1.4ft.:  'in  ipso  vita  erat,  et  vita  erat  lux  hominum. 
Et  lux  in  tenebris  lucet  .  .  .  erat  lux  vera,  quae  illuminat  omnem  homi- 
nem  venientem  in  hunc  mundum.' 

16.  6r  haue  merci  of  fiin  knicht.  A  delightful  touch  —  and  one  that 
shows  incidentally,  not  that  English  chivalry  enters  into  these  poems,  but 
rather  that  French  lyrics  find  their  truest  expression  in  English  in  little 
echoes  heard  now  and  then  in  the  lines  of  poets  who  have  caught  the 
spirit  without  being  unduly  fettered  by  a  sense  of  form. 

17.  Cf.  Is.  11.  1-2:  'A  rodde  shall  sprynge  out  of  the  rowte  Iesse ; 
and  out  of  the  rowte  therof  shall  sprynge  vp  a  flowre,  and  therevpon 
shall  rcste  the  spyryte  of  the  lorde.'  As  rendered  in  the  Myroure  of  oure 
Ladye,  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  19-147. 


179 

22.  ic  am  fii  mon.  An  expression  translated  literally  from  French 
secular  poetry,  and  also  frequent  in  the  Middle  English  love  songs. 

25  ff.  Evidently  from  an  anthem  used  at  times  in  the  Horae,  BVM. ; 
rendered  in  the  Myroure  of  oure  Ladye:  'Blyssed  be  thow  most  worthy 
sower  that  haste  sowen  a  grayne  of  the  beste  whete  in  the  best  lande 
wette  wyth  the  dew  of  the  holy  goste.'     E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  19-201. 

41.  fm  ert  icumen  of  he)e  kunne  \  of  dauid  fie  riche  king.  After  the 
manner  of  the  French  lyric  poet  who  was  accustomed  to  celebrate  the 
high  rank  and  birth  of  his  lady.  Cf.  Introduction,  p.  34.  The  idea,  of 
course,  is  here  both  liturgical  and  scriptural. 

49.  Swetelic  ure  loured  hit  di}te  \  fiat  fiu  maide  wifi-ute  were.  A  com- 
mon theme  in  liturgical  devotions.  Cf.  the  Horae,  BVM.:  'Oratio. 
Almyjti  euerlastynge  god,  that  wonderli  thur?  the  hooli  goost  madist 
redi  bodi  and  soule  of  the  gloriouse  virgyne  modir  marie :  that  she  de- 
seruede  to  be  maad  the  worthi  dwellynge  place  of  thi  sone.'  Mask.  II, 
73.     Swetelic,  margin  has,  Seolcudlicke,  i.e.  treowe. 

51-52.  fiat  al  fits  world  bicluppe  ne  miyte  \  fiu  sscholdest  of  fiin  boseme 
here.  From  the  third  lesson,  BVM.:  'Hooli  modir  of  god,  that  de- 
seruedist  worthili  to  conceyue  him  that  al  the  world  myHe  not  holde.' 
Cf .  also  the  response  after  the  first  lesson :  '  For  him  that  heuenes  myHen 
not  take  thou  beer  in  thi  wombe.'     Mask.  II,  10. 

53.  fie  ne  sthte,  ne  fie  ne  pri)te  |  in  side,  in  lende,  ne  elles  where.  Cf. 
Horae,  BVM. :  'Heil  thou,  for  ful  with  god,  childedist  withoute  peyne.' 
Mask.  II,  74.  Cf.  also  St.  Bernard :  '  Conceptus  fuit  sine  pudore, 
partus  sine  dolor e.}     Serm.,  In  vig.  nat.,  4,  3. 

55.  fiat  wes  wis  ful  muchel  riite  |  for  fiu  here  fiine  helere.  A  para- 
phrase evidently  of  a  portion  of  the  Beata  es,  Horae,  BVM. :  'Blessid 
art  thou  virgyn  marie  .  .  .  thou  hast  getyn  hym  that  made  thee.' 
Mask.  II,  61. 

31 

Printed,  E.  E.  T.  S.  49-158 ;  previously,  Wright,  Owl  and  Nightingale, 
Percy  Soc.  11  (1843)  65.  Variants:  04)  T.  C.  C,  B.  14.  39;  printed, 
Chambers  and  Sidgwick,  94;  (B)  Jesus  Coll.  Oxford,  I,  29;  printed, 
Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  49-159. 

1-3.  On  the  influence  of  French  lyric  forms  on  this  poem,  cf.  Intro- 
duction, p.  36. 

31-32.  Cf.  the  Poema  Morale:  'Vnnet  lif  ich  habbe  iled  .  .  .  wel 
ful  sare  ich  me  adrede.'  11.  5-6.  Cf.  also  7-4.  There  are  other  parallels 
between  this  poem  and  No.  7,  but  they  are  hardly  striking  enough  to  be 
convincing. 

32 

Printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  49-194;  previously,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq. 
I,  89 ;  also  printed,  Matzner,  53  ;  Chambers  and  Sidgwick,  92  ;  Stobart, 
Chaucer's  Epoch,  15. 


180 

2.  velud  maris  ste.lla.  These  Latin  caudae  are  reminiscences  of  famous 
proses,  sequences,  hymns  and  other  devotions  connected  with  the  various 
services  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Latin  words  are, 
as  a  rule,  carefully  worked  into  the  poem  and  not  merely  inserted  as  in- 
laid ornaments.  The  poet  did  not  consciously  borrow,  culling  phrases  here 
and  there  from  hymns,  to  suit  his  fancy,  but  rather  he  composed  a  poem 
in  which  he  expressed  part  of  his  thought  in  English,  part  in  Latin.  That 
a  few  —  and  only  a  few  —  of  these  caudae  happen  to  be  found  in  the 
hymns  proves  nothing  beyond  the  fact  that  the  author  was  an  orthodox 
church-going  Christian  who  was  accustomed  to  hear  hymns  in  honor  of 
the  Virgin  daily,  and  often  several  times  daily.  Cf.  Introduction,  p.  25. 
With  1.  2  cf.  almost  any  devotion  of  the  Horae,  BVM.,  especially  the  first 
line  of  the  famous  hymn,  Ave  Maris  Stella. 

3.  Bmter  pan  pe  day-is  li}t.  The  comparison  of  Mary  to  the  light 
of  day  is  a  favorite  one  in  all  medieval  poetry,  and  owes  its  origin  probably 
to  the  early  sequences;  cf.,  for  instance,  the  Prose,  De  Assump.  B.  M. : 
'rosa  processit  sicut  sol.  Oritur,  ut  lucifer  inter  astra  decoravit  polorum 
sidera.'     Date,  c.  1000.     Surtees  Soc.  60-294. 

4.  parens  et  puella.  Cf .  the  first  lesson  in  the  Horae :  '  Modir  and 
daujter  ' ;  also  later  :  '  modir  and  virgyne.'  Mask.  II,  10.  I  regret  that 
I  have  no  Latin  Horae  available  from  which  to  quote  these  phrases. 

19.  Cf.  the  hymn,  O  gloriosa,  Horae,  BVM.:  'Quod  Eua  tristis 
abstulit,  Tu  reddis  almo  genuine. '     Mask.  II,  24,  note  53. 

33 

Printed,  Boddeker,  213;  Wright,  Spec,  of  L.  P.  87;  Chambers  and 
Sidgwick,  97. 

1  ff.    On  the  setting,  see  Introduction,  p.  t,^. 

30.  park  hire  medicine.  With  this  title  for  Christ,  if  we  may  call  it 
such,  cf.  the  antiphon  in  the  Horae:  'Suche  a  deeth  undirjede  the 
medicyn  of  liif.'     Mask.  II,  64. 

33.  hire  erbes  smullep  suete.  This  manner  of  speaking  of  Christ  and 
Mary  is  both  liturgical  and  patristic.  Thus  St.  Bernard  celebrates  the 
'fragrance  of  this  odorous  fruit'  (Horn,  iii  on  the  Missus  est) ;  and  the 
Horae,  BVM.,  has  the  significant  Capitulum:  'As  cauel  andbawme  swote 
smellynge  I  ?af  swoot  odour  :  as  triede  myrre  I  jaf  swetnesse  of  smelly nge.' 
Mask.  II,  68.  The  theme  is  perhaps  more  popular  in  French  religious 
poetry  than  in  English.  Cf.  for  instance  a  song  in  the  Bern  MS.  358: 
'  Tu  ies  bames  natureis.  douls  miels  et  laituaires.  tu  ies  pimens  sauoreis. 
pucelle  debonaire.    nos  cuers  purge  et  esclaire.'   Wackernagel,  xlv,  p.  69. 

34 

Printed,  Fehr,  Archiv   106   (1901)   276. 

2  ff.   peccantem  me  cotidie  .  .  .  Timor  mortis  conlurbat  me  .  .  .  saluum 


181 

me  fac,  domine.  From  the  response  after  the  ninth  lesson,  Vig.  Mort. : 
'  Peccantem  me  quotidie  et  non  repaenitentem  timor  mortis  conturbat  me. 
.  .  .  Deus  in  nomine  tuo  salvum  me  fac.y 

10.  parce  michi,  domine.  From  the  first  lesson  (Job  vii.),  Vig.  Mort.: 
'Parce  mini,  Domine.' 

12.   Fehr  prints  bozsteste,  presumably  for  bo)steste,  or  better  bo}test(e). 

35 

Printed,  Fliigel,  Anglia,  26  (1903)  193  ;  previously,  Wright,  Songs  and 
Carols,  Percy  Soc.  23-74.  The  three  following  poems,  35,  36,  and  37, 
have  close  relations.  The  parallels  between  36  and  37  have  been  pointed 
out  by  Professor  Fliigel,  and  are  so  evident  that  I  have  not  repeated  them 
in  detail ;  the  ideas  that  are  common  to  all  three  poems  will  be  found 
below.  The  facts,  that  in  no  case  do  the  lines  exactly  correspond,  that 
in  only  one  stanza  are  the  rhyming  words  the  same  (36,  st.  7,  and  37, 
st.  6),  that  the  rhyme  scheme  is  always  the  same,  that  the  meter  is  always 
identical,  and  that  37  is  a  partial  translation,  part  of  the  line  being  left 
in  the  Latin,  the  other  part  translated  (cf.  Mr.  Chambers'  essay  in 
Chambers  and  Sidgwick),  —  all  these  facts  are  pretty  conclusive  evi- 
dence that  there  existed  a  number  of  these  poems,  all  closely  alike  in 
ideas,  all  employing  the  same  refrain,  the  same  meter,  the  same  rhyme 
scheme,  aaaB,  and  quite  probably  written  originally  in  Latin.  With 
these  poems  should  be  grouped:  (1)  Dunbar's  Lament  for  the  Makaris. 
(Cf.  37,  note.)  (2)  Lydgate's  Timor  Mortis  Conturbat  Me.  (Printed 
here.)  (3)  An  unpublished  poem  in  MS.  Porkington,  No.  10,  fol.  195, 
with  the  same  refrain ;  described,  Madden,  Syr  Gawayne,  p.  lxii.  The 
poem  is  composed  of  twelve  stanzas  of  twelve  lines  each,  which  renders 
it  probable  that,  like  Lydgate's  poem,  it  has  little  actual  connection  with 
the  typical  Timor  Mortis  poems.  (4)  An  unpublished  poem  in  a  MS. 
belonging  to  the  Marquis  of  Bath ;  described,  Hist.  MSS.  Com.,  Ill,  180 : 
'A  poem  beginning,  Timor  mortis  conturbat  me.'  (5)  An  unpublished 
poem  in  the  Audelay  MS. ;   described  Anglia,  18-2 11. 

6.   From  the  response  after  the  seventh  lesson ;   cf.  34-2,  note. 

11.  A  most  popular  bit  of  argument;   cf.  22-170,  note. 

19.  Jhesu  cryst  whan  yat  he  shuld  sofer  hys  passyon,  \  To  hys  fader  he 
seyd  with  gret  deuocyon,  \  Thys  is  ye  causse  of  my  inter cessy on :  \  ye  dred 
of  deth  do  troble  me  I  Cf.  36,  15-19  :  'Jhesu  cryst  whane  he  schuld  dey 
I  to  hys  fader  he  gan  sey :  |  fader,  he  sayd,  in  trinyte  |  timor  6*c. ; ' 
also  37, 15-17,  lChristus  se  ipsum,  whan  he  shuld  dye,  |  Patri  suo  his  man- 
hode  did  Crye:  |  Respice  me,  pater,  that  is  so  hye,  |  terribilis  mors.' 
A  reference  doubtless  to  the  agony  in  the  Garden. 

23-25.    Cf.  36,  19-21;   also  37-20:    'Due  me  from  this  vanyte.' 

31-33.    Cf.  36,  27-29;  also  37,  11-13. 


182 


36 

Printed,  Fliigel,  Anglia,  26  (1906)  192 ;  Wright,  Songs  and  Carols, 
Percy  Soc.  23-57.  Variant,  only  four  stanzas,  Balliol  MS.  354;  printed, 
Fliigel,  Anglia  26  (1906)  192 ;  Dyboski,  E.  E.  T.  S.  103-3  I  Chambers 
and  Sidgwick,  150. 

37 
I   Printed,  Fliigel,  Anglia  26  (1906)  259 ;  Dyboski,  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  101- 

36.  Chambers  and  Sidgwick,  149. 

1-8.    Cf.  the  general  content  of  36,  1-8. 

9.  Corpus  migrat  in  my  sowle.  Cf.  35-15:  'Whan  my  sowle  &  my 
body  departyd  shallbe.' 

Editors  of  Dunbar  have  failed  to  notice  that  the  Lament  for  the  Makaris 
is  intimately  connected  with  the  group  of  poems  represented  by  the  three 
preceding  lyrics.  David  Laing  in  trying  to  throw  light  on  the  source 
of  the  Lament  said  'that  the  refrain,  Timor  mortis  conturbat  me,  is  taken 
from  a  poem  by  Lydgate  beginning:  "So  as  I  lay  the  other  night. '" 
(Quoted  by  Gregor,  Scott.  Text  Soc.  Poems  of  Dunbar,  III,  91.)  A 
comparison  of  the  Lament  with  Lydgate's  poem,  here  printed  for  the  first 
time,  will  reveal  the  fact  that  there  is  probably  no  connection  between 
the  two  poems;  their  stanzaic  structure  is  totally  different,  and  their 
content  is  remarkably  unlike.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  Dunbar  had  ever 
seen  Lydgate's  poem.  Mr.  Gregor  evidently  felt  that  the  connection 
with  Lydgate  was  not  entirely  proved,  for  he  goes  on  to  suggest  that 
'  the  poet  may  have  had  in  mind  the  words,  "  Circumdederunt  me  dolores 
mortis,"  Ps.  cxiv.  3  (cxvi.  3).  Buchanan  translates,  "Jam  mors  ante 
oculos  erat."  Cf.  Ps.  liv.  4.'  He  may  have  had  such  a  passage  in  mind, 
it  is  true,  but  it  is  far  more  likely  that,  like  the  poets  of  Nos.  35,  36,  and 

37,  he  could  not  escape  the  words  of  the  awful  responsorium.  Further- 
more it  has  been  established  in  the  notes  to  the  Timor  Mortis  poems  that 
there  was  in  all  probability  a  body  of  these  lyrics,  written  originally  in 
Latin,  and  all  more  or  less  closely  related.  The  parallels  pointed  out 
below  between  the  Lament  and  the  three  poems  in  the  text  prove  almost 
conclusively  that  Dunbar  here,  as  in  the  Tahiti  of  Confessioun  (cf.  note 
to  No.  3),  has  taken  his  suggestion  and  general  content  from  popular  forms 
of  religious  poetry,  but  with  a  poet's  genius  has  adapted  those  conven- 
tions to  his  own  needs.  In  comparing  the  Lament  with  the  Timor  Mortis 
poems  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  stanza  in  each  case  is  composed  of 
three  lines  and  a  refrain  ;  that  the  meter  is  the  same,  and  that  the  rhyme 
scheme,  though  different,  is  not  radically  so.  In  content  the  poems  have 
the  same  general  tone  and  the  same  lyrical  emotion.  The  resemblances 
in  wording  are  not  striking,  though  the  thought  is  often  similar.  The 
following  parallels  between  the  Lament  and  Nos.  35,  36,  and  37  are  sug- 
gestive : 


183 

Lament,  1-4:  /  that  in  heill  wes  and  glaidness  \  Am  trublit  now  with 
gret  seikness    |    And  feblit  with  infirmite    \    Timor  Mortis  conturbat  me. 

Cf.  No.  37,  1-4:  ' Ilia  juventus  that  is  so  nyse  |  Me  deduxit  into  vain 
Devise;  |  Infirmus  sum,  I  may  not  Rise  |  Terribilis  mors  conturbat 
me.'    Also :  'lam  ductus  sum  in  to  my  bed.'    Ibid,  9. 

Lament,  5-6 :  Our  plesaunce  heir  is  all  vane  glory,  \  This  fals  warld  is 
bot  transitory. 

Cf.  No.  35,  24-25 :  'Thys  world  is  butt  a  chery  flare  |  Replett  with 
sorow  &  fulfylled  with  care.'     Also:   'Due  me  from  this  vanyty.'  37-20. 

Lament,  7 :    The  flesche  is  brukle,  the  Feynd  is  sle. 

Cf.  37,  12-13  :  ' Respicit  demon  in  his  Rowle,  |  Desiderat  ipse  to  haue 
his  tolle.' 

Lament,  17-20:  Vnto  the  deth  gois  all  estaitis  \  Princis,  prelattis  and 
Potestaitis  \  Bayth  riche  and  pure  of  all  degree  \  Timor  Mortis  conturbat 
me. 

Cf.  35,  7-10:  'I  haue  be  lorde  of  towr  and  towne  |  I  sett  not  be  my 
gret  renowne ;  ffor  deth  wyll  pluck[yt]  all  downe ;  The  dred  of  deth  do 
trobyll  me.' 

In  view  of  the  provenience  of  the  Lament  too  much  stress  must  not 
be  laid  on  Schipper's  statement  that  '.  .  .  the  general  tone  of  it  es- 
pecially the  contents  of  the  first  stanza,  where  he  says,  v.  3,  that  he  is 
feblit  with  infirmitie,  make  it  [clear]  that  it  was  written  by  Dunbar  in 
advanced  age.' 

38 

Hitherto  unprinted.  Described,  Cat.  of  Earl.  MSS.,  p.  593;  also, 
MacCracken,  The  Lydgate  Canon,  xxvi. 

44.   pyacle,  Latin,  piaculum,  a  sin-offering,  expiation. 

49-50.  Cf .  Exodus  34.  29-30,  33 :  '  Moses  wist  not  that  the  skin  of 
his  face  shone  while  he  talked  with  him.  And  when  Aaron  and  all  the 
children  of  Israel  saw  Moses,  behold,  the  skin  of  his  face  shone ;  and  they 
were  afraid  to  come  nigh  him.  .  .  .  And  till  Moses  had  done  speaking 
with  them,  he  put  a  vail  on  his  face.' 

51-52.  Josue  .  .  .  that  heng  the  kynges  of  Gabaoon.  Cf.  Joshua  10.  16, 
22,  26 :  'But  these  five  kings  fled,  and  hid  themselves  in  a  cave  at  Mak- 
kedah.  .  .  .  Then  said  Joshua,  Open  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  bring 
out  those  five  kings  unto  me  out  of  the  cave.  .  .  .  And  afterward 
Joshua  smote  them,  and  slew  them,  and  hanged  them  on  five  trees: 
and  they  were  hanging  upon  the  trees  until  the  evening.' 

53.  Nor  the  noble  myghty  Gedeoon.  Cf.  Judges  6.  12  :  'And  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him,  and  said  unto  him,  The  Lord  is  with 
thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  valour.' 

57.  Sampson  that  rent  the  lion  |  On  pecis  smalle.  Cf.  Judges  14.  5-6  : 
'Then  went  Samson  down,  and  his  father  and  his  mother,  to  Timnath, 
and  came  to  the  vineyards  of  Timnath ;  and,  behold,  a  young  lion  roared 


184 

against  him.     And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon  him,  and 
he  rent  him  as  he  would  a  kid,  and  he  had  nothing  in  his  hand.' 

60.  Cf.  I  Samuel  17.  No  Bible  story  was  more  popular  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  constant  references  to  it  which  we  find. 
It  formed  the  three  lections  of  the  first  nocturn  of  the  fourth  Sunday  after 
Pentecost,  and  was  continued  in  the  lections  of  Monday  and  Tuesday. 
It  also  formed  the  subject  of  one  of  St.  Augustine's  popular  sermons 
(cf.  Professor  Manly's  article,  Familia  Goliae,  in  Mod.  Phil.  Oct.  1907) ; 
and  it  is  constantly  referred  to  in  the  sacred  Latin  hymns  published  by 
Dreves. 

65  fif.  Cf.  Rev.  6.  8:  'And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  pale  horse:  and 
his  name  that  sat  on  him  was  Death,  and  Hell  followed  with  him.  And 
power  was  given  unto  them  over  the  fourth  part  of  the  earth,  to  kill  with 
the  sword,  and  with  hunger,  and  with  death,  and  with  the  beasts  of  the 
earth.' 

39 

Printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  I,  57.  Other  metrical  versions  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer  are:  (1)  MS.  Gg.  IV,  32.  Bib.  Cantab.;  printed  Wright, 
Rel.  Antiq.  I,  159.  (2)  MS.  Hh.  VI,  n,  Cambridge  Pub.  Lib.;  printed. 
ibid.  169.  (3)  MS.  Arundel,  292,  fol.  3  ;  printed,  ibid.  235.  (4)  MS, 
Cotton.  Cleopatra,  B.  vi.  fol.  201 ;  printed,  ibid.  22 ;  also  Maskell,  II, 
238.  (5)  The  Makculloch  MS.  f.  87  a;  described,  Gregory  Smith, 
Spec,  of  Middle  Scots,  p.  lxviii. 

40 

Printed,  Clark,  E.  E.  T.  S.  129-5. 

6.  If  we  make  dene  oure  tempil  with-ynne.  Cf.  1  Cor.  3.  16-17: 
'  Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
dwelleth  in  you  ?  If  any  man  defile  the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God 
destroy;  for  the  temple  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are.'  Cf. 
also  1  Cor.  6.  19. 

41 

Printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  53-258.  A  very  free  paraphrase  of  the 
Lord's  prayer. 

1.  Cf.  3-18,  note. 

2.  king  of  alle  kinge.     Liturgical. 

36.  />u  ert  hele  &  help  6*  lif  6*  king  of  alle  kinge.  Cf .  3 1-1 1 ,  1 2  :  '  pu  art 
hele  and  lif  and  liht  |  And  helpest  al  mon-kunne.' 

42 

Printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  II,  228.  See  No.  11,  note.  This  poem, 
by  friar  William  Herebert,  is  a  close  translation  of  the  hymn,  Ave  Maris 
Stella,  used  in  the  services  of  the  Horae,  BVM.,  especially  as  the  hymn 
in  Evensong. 


185 

25-26.  The  Gloria  Patri  was  regularly  appended  to  all  hymns  in  the 
services;  translated  in  the  Prymer:  'Preisyng  be  to  god  the  fadir, 
worshipe  to  the  nicest  crist,  and  to  the  hooli  goste :  oon  worship  to  hem 
thre.'     Mask.  II,  62. 

43 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-735.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
and  delightful  paraphrases  in  Middle  English.  The  structure  of  the 
poem  is  worthy  of  notice.  Two  stanzas  of  the  paraphrase  are  devoted 
to  each  stanza  of  the  original.  In  each  case  the  first  stanza  is  a  closer 
paraphrase  than  the  second,  and  in  each  case  the  first  line  of  the  first 
stanza  is  a  close  translation,  and  the  second  line  is  not  a  translation,  but 
a  suitable  expansion  of  the  first ;  the  third  line  goes  back  to  the  original, 
the  fourth  is  an  expansion,  and  so  on  through  the  eight  lines.  The  last 
four  lines  have  a  different  rhyme  scheme,  and  serve  as  a  kind  of  refrain. 
The  second  stanza  attempts  a  re-paraphrasing  in  the  same  manner, 
except  that  the  odd  lines  are  usually  much  freer  even  than  in  the  first 
stanza.  There  are  many  Latin  hymns  built  upon  the  Ave  Maris  Stella 
(cf.  Mone  II,  Nos.  496-500),  but  I  can  discover  in  them  no  signs  of 
relationship  with  this  poem. 

20.  Out  oj  fns  wopes  dale.  The  liturgical  in  this  valei  of  teeris;  found 
in  the  antiphon,  Salve  regina,  and  very  frequently  in  Latin  hymns  and 
sacred  poetry.  It  is  not  found  elsewhere  in  these  poems.  With  the 
general  thought  of  11.  20-24  may  be  compared  the  following  responses  and 
versicles  from  the  same  antiphon:  'Resp.  O  celi.  Vers.  Reiside  aboue 
heuenes :  and  crowned  of  thi  child  in  this  wrecchid  vale,  to  giltie  be  lady 
of  fooeuenes.  Resp.  O  hooly.  Vers.  That  he  lose  us  fro  synnes  for  the 
loue  of  his  modir :  and  to  the  kyngdom  of  clernesse  lede  us  the  kyng  of 
pitee.'     Mask.  II,  73. 

79.  With  the  general  thought  of  the  remainder  of  the  stanza  may  be 
compared  the  antiphon,  0  gloriosa:  'O  thou  gloriouse  modir  of  god, 
euer  mayde  that  desseruedist  to  bere  the  lord  of  alle  thingis :  and  thou 
mayde  aloone  to  >eue  souke  to  the  king  of  angels/     Mask.  II,  26. 

93.  Ladi  briht,  wi/>  eiien  gray.  Ei>en  gray  are  of  course  the  only  kind 
of  eyes  allowed  to  the  beloved  of  the  chansons  d' amour;  likewise  her 
complexion  was  always  bright. 

129.  Ladi  .  .  .  feir  and  f re.  This  epithet,  which  has  been  repeated 
with  great  frequency  by  English  lyric  poets  (cf.,  for  example,  Milton, 
V Allegro,  'Goddess,  fair  and  free'),  was  doubtless  introduced  into 
England  from  the  French  lyric  poets.  Cf.  Bern  MS.  389  :  'dame,  douche 
et  franche.' 

130.  /ni  lilye  whyt  of  face.  Cf.  the  Sequence,  In  die  Assump.  B.  M. : 
'Purpurea  ut  viola,  roscida  ut  rosa,  candens  ut  lilia.'  Surtees  Soc.  60- 
82. 


186 


44 

Printed,  Wright,  Rcl.  Anliq.  II,  229.  See  Nos.  11  and  42  and  the  notes. 
A  translation  of  the  hymn,  Vent,  Creator  Spiritus.  Another  version  of 
this  hymn  is  found  in  the  Vernon  MS. ;  printed  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-43. 

45 

Printed,  Simmons,  E.  E.  T.  S.  71-18. 

2.   Liturgical;  cf.  2-10,  note. 

4.  po  gode  to  chese  b°  leeue  po  ilk.  Ultimately  from  Is.  7.  15,  16: 
'refuse  the  evil  and  choose  the  good.'  But  the  use  of  the  quotation 
was  very  widespread,  owing  to  its  occurrence  in  patristic  writings,  es- 
pecially in  the  Mirror  of  St.  Edmund. 

46 

Printed,  Dyboski,  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  101-51 ;  previously,  Fliigel, 
Anglia,  26  (1906)  157.  Maskell  says:  'In  the  Salisbury  Horae  and 
Prymers  is  commonly  found  an  Office  to  the  "Proper  Angel."  '  It  has 
never  been  pointed  out  that  this  poem  is  a  free  translation  of  the  anti- 
phon,  versicle,  and  response  belonging  to  that  office. 

1-3.  Cf.  the  antiphon :  'Angele  qui  meus  es  custos,  pietate  superna: 
Me  tibi  commissum,  salva,  defende,  guberna.'     Mask.  II,  268. 

9-13.  Cf.  '0  tu  dulcis  angele,  qui  mecum  moraris,  Licet  personaliter 
mecum  non  loquaris.     Animam  cum  corpore  precor  tuearis.' 

14.  A  reminiscence  of  the  litany.     Cf.  5-22,  note. 

15.  For  pat  ys  thyn  ojjes.     Cf.  'Tuum  hoc  est  officium.'     Ibid. 

16.  Cf. :   '  Vers.   0  beate  angele,  nuntie  Dei  nostri. 

Resp.    Actus  meos  regula  ad  votum  Dei   altissimi.'     Ibid. 

47 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-756  ;  previously  in  Archiv  97  (1896) 
312.     A   rhyme-beginning  poem.     Furnivall. 

18.   Haytit.     "  ?  for  hantith,  practises."     Furnivall. 

48 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-744. 

1  ff.  This  poem  follows  the  general  form  for  morning  devotions  which 
St.  Edmund  suggested  in  his  Speculum.  The  first  stanza  is  a  free  para- 
phrase of  his  Oratio  in  mane.  I  quote,  however,  the  Prayer  as  given 
in  a  paraphrase  in  a  treatise  on  Daily  Work,  printed  in  R.  R.  I,  145,  which 
is  nearer  the  form  in  the  text :  '  I  thank  be,  dereworthi  lorde,  with  al  mi 
hert:  bat  so  vnworthi  wreche  bus  has  jemid  bis  night,  &  tholid  me  with  life 
&  hele  bus  abide  bis  daie  (11.  3-4).  I  thanke  be,  lorde,  of  bis  grete  gode 
&  mani  ober/  etc.     St.  Edmund  concludes:  'et  pro  alijs  vniuersis  bene- 


187 

ficijs  tuis  que  michi  tua  sola  pietate  contulisti,  qui  viuis  &  regnas  deus  & 
.  .  .  Dere  frende  in  Ms  same  manere  sail  km  say  when  km  rysez  at  morne 
and  when  bou  lygges  down  at  evyn.'    Mirror,  E.  E.  T.  S.  26a-io. 

15.  /  be-take  fiis  day  of  me  cure.  Also :  My  body  and  soule  I  fie  be-take, 
1.  19.  Cf.  St.  Edmund:  'And,  dere  frende,  do  na  thynge  in  ]>is  lfye  till 
bou  commend  )>i  selfe  ...  in  the  handis  of  thi  swete  Lorde  Ihesu  Criste , 
and  say  one  bis  manere,  In  manus  tuas,  Domine  .  .  .  commendo  in  hac 
nocte  (vel  die)  animam  meam  et  corpus  meura.'    Ibid. 

20.  fiis  day,  lord,  kep  me  out  of  synne.  Cf . :  '  custodi  nos,  Domine, 
in  hac  nocte  (vel  die)  ...  a  peccatis.'     Ibid. 

23-24.  from  pi  lawe  fiat  I  ne  twynne  \  ne  breke  fii  ten  commaundements . 
Cf . :  '  et  fac  me  semper  tuis  obedire  mandatis,  &  a  te  numquam  separari 
permittas.'    Ibid. 

25  ff.  Cf.  St.  Edmund:  'Now,  dere  frende,  be-fore  matyns  sail  km 
thynke  of  k  swete  byrthe  of  Ihesu  Cryste  alkr-fyrste,  and  sythyn  eftyr- 
warde  of  his  passion.'     Ibid.  40. 

27-32.  Cf.  Oratio,  translated:  'kepe  vs,  Lorde,  in  bis  nyghte  (or  bis 
day)  .  .  .  fra  vices  and  fra  wykked  jernynges,  fra  synns  and  .  .  .  fra 
be  paynes  of  helle.'    Ibid.  20. 

33-36.  Cf.  St.  Edmund  supra;  also:  'Be-fore  pryme,  lou  sail  thynke 
of  k  passion  of  Ihesu  .  .  .  and  bay  bygan  to  dryfe  hym  till  he  thynge, 
and  to  fulle  hym  als  a  fule,  and  spite  one  hym  in  dispyte  in  his  faire  face; 
.  .  .  and  sythen  asked  hym  whate  he  was  bat  hym  smate.'    Ibid,  41. 

41-44.  Cf. :  'Of  his  passyon,  sail  bou  thynke  how  be  Iewes  ledde  hym 
in- to  baire  counsaile,  and  bare  false  wytnes  agayne  hym,  and  put  appone 
hym  bat  ...  he  had  said  bat  he  suld  haue  distroyde  be  temple  of  Godde, 
and  make  agayne  anober  with-in  the  thirde  day.'    Ibid. 

63-64.   Patristic  phrases  much  used  by  mystic  writers. 

67-68.   From  the  Confession;   cf.  2,  note. 

49 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-26.  It  has  never  been  pointed  out 
that  this  poem  is  a  rendering  of  a  prayer  by  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas. 
Prose  translations  of  this  prayer  are  frequent.  Queen  Mary  translated 
it  into  good  English  prose  in  'the  xi  yere  of  here  age  '  (Mask.  II,  266). 
The  original  Latin  follows :  — 

'  Oratio  solita  recitari  singulo  die  ante  imaginem  Christi. 

1  Concede  mihi,  misericors  Deus,  quae  tibi  placita  sunt  ardenter  con- 
cupiscere,  prudenter  investigare,  veraciter  agnoscere,  et  perfecte  adim- 
plere  ad  laudem  et  gloriam  nominis  tui.  Ordina  statum  meum,  et  quod 
a  me  requiris  ut  faciam,  tribue  ut  sciam ;  et  da  exequi  sicut  oportet  et 
expedit  animae  meae.  Da  mihi,  Domine  Deus  meus,  inter  prospera  et 
adversa  non  deficere,  ut  in  illis  non  extollar,  et  in  istis  non  deprimar: 


188 

de  nullo  gaudeam  vel  doleam  nisi  quod  ducat  ad  te  vel  abducat  a  te. 
Nulli  placere  appetam,  vel  displicere  timeam  nisi  tibi.  Yilescant  mihi, 
Domine,  omnia  transitoria,  et  cara  mihi  sint  omnia  tua.  Taedeat  me 
gaudii  quod  est  sine  te,  nee  aliud  cupiam  quod  est  extra  te.  Delectet  me, 
Domine,  labor  qui  est  pro  te ;  et  taediosa  sit  mihi  omnis  quies  quae  est 
sine  te.  Frequenter  da  mihi,  Domine,  cor  ad  te  dirigere,  et  in  defectione 
mea  cum  emendationis  proposito  dolendo  pensare.  Fac  me,  Domine 
Deus,  obedientem  sine  contradictione,  pauperem  sine  defectione,  castum 
sine  corruptione,  patientem  sine  murmuratione,  humilem  sine  fictione, 
et  hilarem  sine  dissolutione,  tristem  sine  dejectione,  maturum  sine 
gravitate,  agilem  sine  levitate,  timentem  te  sine  desperatione,  veracem 
sine  duplicitate,  operantem  bona  sine  praesumptione,  proximum  cor- 
ripere  sine  elatione,  ipsum  aedificare  verbo  et  exemplo  sine  simulatione. 
Da  mihi,  Domine  Deus,  cor  pervigil  quod  nulla  abducat  a  te  curiosa 
cogitatio.  Da  nobile  quod  nulla  deorsum  trahat  indigna  affectio.  Da 
rectum  nulla  seorsum  obliquet  sinistra  intentio.  Da  nrmum  quod  nulla 
frangat  tribulatio.  Da  liberum  quod  nulla  sibi  vindicet  violenta  affectio. 
Largire  mihi,  Domine  Deus  meus,  intellectum  te  cognoscentem,  diligentiam 
te  quaerentem,  sapientiam  te  invenientem,  conversationem  tibi  placentem, 
perse verantiam  fidenter  te  expectantem,  et  nduciam  te  finaliter  am- 
plectentem :  tuis  poenis  hie  affligi  per  poenitentiam,  tuis  beneficiis  in  via 
uti  per  gratiam,  tuis  gaudiis  in  primis  in  patria  perfrui  per  gloriam. 
Qui  vivis  et  regnas  Deus  per  omnia  saecula  saeculorum.     Amen.' 

Thomae  Aquinatis  .  .  .  Opera  omnia,  Vol.  XXXII,  820. 

50 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-733. 

I.  In  Somer  bi-fore  fx,  Ascenciun;  i.e.  some  time  in  May  or  early  June, 
Ascension  coming  the  fortieth  day  after  Easter. 

4-  forpe  pees  fast  gon  I  prai.  'For  the  pees'  is  the  name  of  a  collect 
used  in  Evensong.  It  was  evidently  so  named  from  its  chief  petition: 
'Deus  a  quo  sancta  desideria,  recta  consilia,  et  justa  sunt  opera:  da 
servis  tuis  illam  quam  mundus  dare  non  potest  pacem.'     Mask.  II,  36. 

8.  Mane  nobiscum,  Domine,  formed  the  versicle  for  the  fourth  Sunday 
after  Easter.     This  may  be  the  Sunday  to  which  the  poet  refers. 

II.  In  Concience  and  we  be  dene  \  Digne  fn,  lorde,  with  vs  to  dwelle. 
Cf.  'Mentis  nostrae  sordes  ablue,  ut  in  nobis  manere  tu  digneris.'  MS. 
Bod.  775.     Surtees  Soc.  60-250. 

17-24.  Cf.  Luke  24.  13  ff. :  'Et  ecce  duo  ex  illis  ibant  ipsa  die  in 
castellum  quod  erat  in  spatio  stadiorum  sexaginta  ab  Jerusalem,  nomine 
Emmaus.  ...  Et  factum  est,  dum  fabularentur  et  secum  quaererunt, 
et  ipse  Jesus  appropinquans  ibat  cum  illis.  ...  Et  respondens  unus 
cui  nomen  Cleophas.  .  .  .     Appropinquaverunt  castello,  quo  ibant  et 


189 

ipse  se  finxit  longius  ire.     Et  coegerunt  ilium  dicentes :  Mane  nobiscum, 
quoniam  advesperascit  et  inclinata  est  jam  dies.     Et  intravit  cum  illis.' 

75-76.   Liturgical. 

77.   From  the  Confession. 

51 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-34. 

2.  j>e  seuen  }iftes  of  />e  holigost.     Cf.  3-73,  note. 

52 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  24-15;  Wiilcker,  Alteng.  Lesebuch, 
2-5.  The  popularity  of  this  poem  in  the  fifteenth  century  is  evidenced 
by  its  many  variants;  I  have  noted  the  following;  there  are  doubtless 
others : 

(.4)   Lambeth  MS.  853 ;   printed  here. 

(B)  Stonyhurst  College  MS.  B.  XLIII,  ff.  o6b-Q7b ;  printed,  Hulme, 
E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  100-xxxviii ;  eight  stanzas  of  fours,  and  as  usual  sadly 
disarranged. 

(C)  Vernon  MS. ;  printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-48 ;  eight 
stanzas  of  fours,  badly  arranged. 

(D)  MS.  of  the  Marquis  of  Bath;  unpublished;  described,  Hist. 
MSS.  Com.  Ill,  180. 

(E)  MS.  of  Lord  Leconfield;  unpublished;  described,  Hist.  MSS. 
Com.  VI,  289. 

(F)  MS.  Trinity  Coll.  Camb.  !Bg  I4>  I9  fol.  162  b;  unpublished;  de- 
scribed, James,  Western  MSS.  I,  419. 

(G)  MS.  Cotton.  Vesp.  A  XXV;  printed,  Lemcke's  Jahrbuch,  Neue 
Folge,  III,  in. 

1-2.  Liturgical;  cf.  2-4,  note.  The  idea  is  very  common  in  mystic 
treatises ;  cf.  R.  R.  I,  70 :  'Lufe  Ihesu,  for  he  made  J?e,  and  boght  J>e  ful 
dere.' 

5.   [is],     Furnivall  prints  'in.' 

n.  Several  lines  in  this  poem  seem  to  be  reminiscent  of  the  Prayer 
of  St.  Thomas  of  Aquinas,  a  form  of  which  is  printed  as  No.  49.  Cf. 
with  this  line:   'Fac  me,  Domine  Deus  .  .  .  humilem  sine  fictione.' 

21.  Ihesu,  graurtte  me  myne  askinge,  \  Perfite  patience  in  my  disese. 
Cf.  'Da  mihi,  Domine  Deus  meus  inter  .  .  .  adversa  non  deficere;' 
translated  in  No.  49 :  'And  euere  beo  pacient  in  wo.' 

23-24.  And  neuere  mote  y  do  f>at  />ing  \  f>at  schulde  pee  in  ony  wise  dis- 
plese.     Cf. :   'Nulli  placere  appetam,  vel  displicere  timeam  nisi  tibi.' 

43.  And  sende  hemfruytis  of  erfoelifode  \  As  ech  man  nedif>  in  his  degree. 
Cf .  the  Litany :  '  That  thou  fouche  saaf  to  jyue  and  kepe  the  f ruytis  of 
the  erthe :  we  preien  thee  to  heere  us.'     Mask.  II,  104. 


190 

49-  Ihesu,  fiat  art  fie  goostli  stoon  \  Of  al  holi  chirche  in  myddil  erfie. 
Cf.  Matt.  21.  42:5  /Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Did  ye  never  read  in  the 
scriptures,  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is  become  the 
head  of  the  corner.'  Also  i  Peter  2.  6 :  'Wherefore  also  it  is  contained 
in  the  scripture,  Behold,  I  lay  in  Sion  a  chief  corner  stone,  elect,  precious : 
and  he  that  believeth  on  him  shall  not  be  confounded.' 

5 1 .  Bringe  fiifooldis  &flockis  in  oon,  \  And  rule  hem  ri}tli  with  oon  hirde. 
Cf.  John  10.  16:  'And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold: 
them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice ;  and  there  shall 
be  one  fold,  and  one  shepherd.' 

53 

Printed,  Perry,  E.  E.  T.  S.  26^73 ;  also  Horstman,  R.  R.  I,  364. 
1  R.  Rolle's  authorship  is  beyond  doubt.'  (Horstman.)  Some  of  the 
lines  in  this  poem  occur  also  in  poems  in  the  mystic  tract,  Ego  dormio  et 
cor  meum  vigilat.  Horstman  called  attention  to  two  parallel  stanzas, 
to  which  I  add  other  lines.  This  poem  and  the  following  show  the  in- 
fluence of  mystic  thought  and  writings  in  almost  every  line ;  there  is  no 
need  to  seek  for  obvious  parallels  in  mystic  treatises.  No.  53  consists  in 
reality  of  two  lyrics  —  the  first,  extending  to  1.  40,  is  a  pure  penitential 
lyric ;   the  second,  from  1.  40,  is  a  song  of  love-longing. 

9.  Iesu  Criste,  Goddes  sone  of  heuen.  A  phrase  often  used  in  patristic 
writings. 

17.  Iesu  of  whaym  all  gudnes  sprynges.  Cf.  Oratio,  Inhumatio  De- 
functi:  'Deus  .  .  .  de  cujus  munere  venit  omne  quod  bonum  est,  et 
procedet.'     Mask.  I,  127. 

38-40.  Cf.  Ego  dormio:  'bow  make  me  clene  of  synne,  &  lat  vs  neuer 
twyn ;   kyndel  me  fire  with-in,  bat  I  bi  lufe  may  wyn.'     R.  R.  I,  57. 

41-42.  Cf.  R.  R.  I,  58 :  '  pe  I  couete,  bis  world  noght,  &  for  it  I  fle ; 
bou  ert  bat  I  haue  soght :  M  face  when  may  I  see  ? ' 

45,  47.  Cf.  R.  R.I,  57  :  'Ihesu  .  .  .  H  lufe  in  to  me  send,  bat  I  may 
with  be  lend.' 

46,  48.  Cf.  R.  R.  I,  60:  'in  til  J>i  lyght  me  lede,  and  in  thi  lufe  me 
fede :  In  lufe  make  me  to  spede,  bat  bou  be  euer  my  mede.' 

65-67.  Cf.  R.  R.  I,  60:  'Ihesu  my  dere  &  my  drewry,  delyte  ert  bou 
to  syng :  Ihesu  my  myrth  &  melody,  when  will  bow  com  my  keyng  ? ' 
(Horstman.) 

68.    Cf.  R.  R.  I,  57 :  'Ihesu,  receyu  my  hert,  &  to  bi  lufe  me  bryng.' 

69-70.  Cf.  R.  R.  I,  60 :  'Ihesu,  my  hele  &  my  hony,  my  whart  &  my 
comfortyng :  Ihesu,  I  couayte  for  to  dy,  when  it  es  bi  payng.' 

71-72.  Cf.  R.  R.  I,  61 :  ' for  lufe  my  bale  may  bete  |  And  til  hys  blis 
me  brynge.' 

73-76.  Cf.  R.  R.  I,  57:  'In  lufe  bow  wownde  my  thoght,  and  lyft 
my  hert  to  be:  my  sawle  bou  dere  hase  boght,  bi  lufer  make  it  to  be.' 
(Horstman.) 


191 

54 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  15  -139. 

55 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-131. 

56 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-22.  The  two  stanzas  of  this  poem 
are  usually  found  separately.  Variants  of  stanza  1  are:  (1)  MS.  Harl.  2316, 
fol.  25,  r°;  printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  II,  119.  (2)  Vernon  MS.  fol. 
CCXCIX,  as  the  last  stanza  (32)  of  a  long  poem,  A  Mournyng  Song  of 
thi  hue  of  God;  printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-476.  (3)  MS.  of 
Lord  Mostyn,  No.  186.  This  variant  is  so  interesting  that  I  print  it  here. 
It  is  found  in  a  MS.  of  a  Latin  Horae  ad  usum  Ecclesiae  Romae,  about  the 
middle  of  the  volume : 

Ladye  mary  mayden  swete 

that  art  so  good  and  fayre  and  fre 

Wyth  al  myn  herte  I  the  beseeche 

for  thi  joyes  to  i  thre. 

That  also  faste  into  myn  herte 

mote  thy  love  takyn  be 

As  was  the  sorwe  in  thyn  herte 

tho  yi  leue  sone  duyed  for  me. 

Hist.  MSS.  Com.  IV,  355. 

Variant  of  stanza  2,  MS.  Thornton,  fol.  i9ib;  printed,  Horstman, 
R.  R.  I,  364.  For  an  appreciation  of  the  metrical  skill  shown  in  this  poem, 
see  Saintsbury,  Hist,  of  Eng.  Pros.  I,  130. 

57 

Printed,  Clarke,  E.  E.  T.  S.  129-4. 

2.  And  kepe  vs  from  perel  of  synnes  and  payne.  Cf.  the  Litany:  'Fro 
dredeful  pereles  of  oure  synnes :  lord  delyuer  us.'     Mask  II,  101. 

10.   Liturgical ;  cf.  3-10,  note. 

12-13.  Probably  an  echo  from  St.  Edmund ;  cf.  the  Mirror,  especially 
the  following  passage :  'here,  I  say,  es  takyn  of  gret  lufe,  hat  he  deyned 
hym  to  make  vs  till  his  awen  lyknes  righte  als  we  had  bene  his  awen  chosen 
childyre  ...  he  moghte  hafe  made  vs  at  his  will  anykyn  o>er  bestis, 
and  ban  had  we  dyede  to-gedire  bathe  body  and  saule.  Bot  when  he  hade 
made  vs  man  .  .  .  now  es  na  herte  sa  harde  >at  it  na  moghte  nesche 
and  lufe  swylke  a  Godde  with  all  his  myghte.'     E.  E.  T.  S.  26a~3i. 

25.   This  petition  from  the  Lord's  prayer  was  often  used ;    it  occurs  in 


192 

a  response  in  the  Horae,  BVM. :  '  Versus.  And  lede  us  not  in  to  tempta- 
cioun.  Resp.  But  delyuer  us  fro  yuel.'  Mask.  II,  10.  Cf.  also  the 
Litany:    'Ab  omni  malo,  libera  nos,  dornine.' 

58 

Printed,  Zupitza,  Eng.  Stud,  n  (1887)  423.  For  a  careful  study  of 
the  variant  MSS.  of  St.  Godric's  songs,  see  the  same.  The  poems  are 
printed,  Ritson,  Bibliog.  Poet.  1-4 ;  Stevenson,  Libellus  de  vita  ct  miracu- 
lis  S.  Godrici,  288  (only  one  stanza  of  59) ;  and  elsewhere.  There  are 
three  English  songs  by  the  Saint,  preserved  in  various  lives.  The  anony- 
mous legend  in  the  Harleian  MS.  contains  an  interesting  account:  'Die 
quadam  raptus  in  exstasim,  ab  hora  diei  prima  usque  ad  nonam  palmas 
in  coelum  tenebat  erectas,  lacrimisque  fluentibus  invocabat  Dei  piissi- 
mam  Genitricem,  quasi  praesentialiter  assistentem.  Saepe  psallebat, 
frequenter  orabat.  Canticum  plerumque  dulcissimum  decantabat,  in 
cujus  fine  sic  flebat,  ut  illud  repetere  non  valebat.  Illud  a  beatissima 
Dei  Genitrice  didicerat,  sicut  mihi  postea  secretius  indicavit.  Interim 
oravit  hoc  modo.'  Here  follows  the  Latin  of  the  first  stanza  of  59,  then 
the  English  with  musical  notation.  Ritson  remarks  in  a  note:  'By 
the  assistance  of  the  Latin  versions  one  is  enabled  to  give  it  literally 
in  English,  as  follows  :  Saint  Mary,  chaste  virgin,  mother  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Nazareth,  take,  shield,  help,  thy  Godric ;  take,  bring  him  quickly  with 
thee  into  God's  kingdom.  Saint  Mary,  Christ's  chamber,  purity  of 
a  maiden,  flower  of  a  mother,  destroy  my  sin,  reign  in  my  mind,  bring 
me  to  dwell  with  the  only  God.'  More  exhaustive  comment  is  omitted 
since  the  poem  has  already  been  thoroughly  investigated. 

59 

Printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  II,  120.  These  ejaculatory  verses  to 
Mary  seem  to  have  been  well  known.  A  variant  is  found  as  an  inlaid 
stanza  to  Mary  in  the  Vernon  MS.  of  the  long  poem  on  the  passion  of 
Jesus,  beginning,  Swete  Ihesu,  now  wol  I  synge;  printed,  Horstman,  R.  R. 
II,  14;   Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  117-454. 

60 

Hitherto  unprinted.  Perhaps  the  most  popular  of  the  later  poems  to 
Mary.  It  occurs  in  the  Speculum  Christiani,  printed  by  Machlinia,  c. 
1485.  The  poem  is  sometimes  ascribed  to  John  Watton,  but  it  was 
doubtless  a  popular  poem  before  being  incorporated  in  the  Speculum. 
Variants  are:  (A)  Harl.  MS.  2382  ;  printed  here.  (B)  Camb.  Pub.  Lib. 
MS.  Ff.  v.  48;  printed,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq.  II,  212.  (C)  Chetam  Lib. 
MS.  8009.  f.  i2ia-4-i2ihu;  unprinted;  described,  Kolbing,  Eng.  Stud. 
7  (1884)  197.   (D)  Brit.  Mus.  MS.  C.  n.  a.  28,  p.  97  (Speculum  Xristiani); 


193 

printed  Dibdin,  Typ.  Antiq.  II,  13;  also  (first  20  11.),  Fliigel,  Neueng. 
Lesebuch,  p.  10. 

This  prayer  to  Mary  shows  no  influence  of  the  chanson  d'amour,  but 
seems  rather  to  belong  to  the  more  commonplace  poetry  that  succeeded 
the  chansons  in  the  fifteenth  century  in  France.  The  stylistic  trick  of 
Anaphora,  so  prominent  in  this  poem,  was  very  popular  in  French  poetry 
of  the  time.  Though  this  poem  in  its  general  origin  owes  much  to  late 
French  poetry,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  in  this  instance  the  anaphora 
has  been  ultimately  influenced  chiefly  by  the  Litany,  and  this  fact  in  turn 
suggests  that  perhaps  the  constant  use  of  the  Litany  in  the  Middle  Ages 
has  much  to  do  with  the  widespread  popularity  of  this  mannerism.  The 
parallels  between  this  poem  and  the  Litany  are  not  strikingly  close  in  their 
phrases ;  such  passages  as  the  following  show,  however,  the  similiarity 
of  ideas,  development,  and  wording:  'Fro  al  yuel:  lord,  delyuer  us. 
(Cf.  1.  6.)  Fro  the  aweitingis  of  the  fend:  lord,  delyuer  us  (I.  22).  Fro 
endeles  dampnacioun:  lord,  delyuer  us  (1.  16).  Fro  dredeful  pereles  of 
oure  synnes :  lord  delyuer  us.  Fro  feere  of  the  enemy :  lord,  delyuer  us- 
Fro  unclene  thoujtis :  lord,  delyuer  us.  .  .  .  That  thou  yelde  euer- 
lastynge  goodis  to  oure  good  doeris :  we  prein.  .  .  .  That  thou  fouche 
saaf  to  ?yue  and  kepe  the  fruytis  of  the  erthe :  we  preien  thee  to  heere 
us.'     Mask.  II,  101. 

1.   Liturgical;    cf.  30-1,  note. 

14.    [mine].     MS.  has  me. 

20.  fame.     The  word  name  has  been  crossed  out  before  fame. 

43.   A  second  me  precedes  haue  in  MS. 

49.   A  paraphrase  of  the  Salutation. 

51.  flour  of  al  fn  kny.  Cf.  the  Horae,  BVM.,  Ant. :  'flour  of  virgyns.' 
Mask.  II,  75. 

61 

Printed,  Hortsmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-22.  The  popularity  of  No.  60  is 
shown  as  much  by  its  influence  upon  succeeding  lyrics  as  by  the  large 
number  of  MS.  copies  extant  of  the  poem  itself.  The  present  poem  is 
little  more  than  a  variant  of  No.  60,  but  because  of  the  unique  way  in 
which  it  is  expanded  I  have  printed  it  here,  where  it  may  be  compared 
with  its  original  line  by  line.  The  poem  in  its  expanded  form  is  quite 
as  free  from  the  manner  of  the  chanson  as  it  was  in  its  earlier  form. 


62 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-33.  Shows  the  influence  of  No.  60 
in  rhyme  couplets,  in  phrases,  in  petitions  for  protection,  and  in  general 
method  of  development ;  the  resemblance  in  phraseology,  however,  is 
not  striking.     The  liturgical  sources  for  the  epithets  for  Mary,  and  other 


194 

expressions,  since  they  have  been  pointed  out  in  detail  previously,  need 
no  repetition  here. 

i.   Mary  modur.     Cf.  69-1:    'Mary  moder.' 

2.  />enk  on  me.     Cf.  60-2:    'thenk  on  me.' 

10.  And  let  me  neuere  die  per-lnne.  Cf.  60-36:  'lat  hem  neuere  dye 
ther  ynne.' 

17-19.    Cf.  60,  21-24. 

25.  Marie,  Mijfrendes,  quike  and  dede,  etc.  Cf.  60-27  •'  'And  for  my 
friends  y  pray  the,'  etc. 

63 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-133.    Like  the  previous  poem,  this 
lyric  is  also  reminiscent  of  No.  60. 
1-2.    Cf.  60,  1-2. 

3.  Cf.  60-21. 

6.  />at  me  ne  dere  no  wiht.     Also  11.  35-36.     Cf.  60-23. 

11.  As  f>ou  art  flour  of  alle.     Cf.  60-51. 

13.  Cf.  61,  3-4. 

14.  It  has  never  been  noticed  in  this  connection  that  the  five  joys  of 
the  Virgin  formed  a  portion  of  the  devotions  of  the  Horae,  BVM. 
Though  the  idea  was  ultimately  patristic  without  doubt,  it  was  from 
liturgical  sources  that  the  English  poets  received  their  inspiration  to 
sing  the  joys  of  Mary.     I  subjoin  the  rendering  in  the  Prymer : 

1  An  othir  salutacioun  to  oure  lady.     Gaude  virgo  mater 

1  Heil  thou,  virgyne  modir  of  crist,  that  bi  eere  conceyuedist :  thur> 
gabriels  message. 

1  Heil  thou,  for  ful  with  god,  childedist  withoute  peyne :  with  lilye  of 
chastite. 

1  Heil  thou,  for  of  thi  sone  whom  thou  sorwedist  to  suffre  deeth :  the 
resurrexioun  shyneth. 

1  Heil  thou,  crist  up  stijynge,  and  in  to  heuene  thee  seynge :  is  born  bi  his 
owne  mouyng. 

1  Heil  marie,  that  after  him  stbest,  and  it  is  to  thee  greet  honoure :  in 
the  palece  of  heuene. 

1  Where  the  fruyt  of  thi  wombe,  bi  thee  is  jouun  us  to  use :  in  euerlast- 
ynge  ioye.     Amen.'     Mask.  II,  73. 

64 

Printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  53-257. 

65 

Printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  49-195;  previously,  Wright,  Rel.  Antiq. 
I,  102;  Matzner,  54;  Boddeker,  457.  Variant,  Harl.  MS.  2253,  fol.  80; 
printed,  Wright,  Spec,  of  L.  P.,  p.  93  ;  Boddeker,  216. 


195 

i.   A  paraphrase  of  the  salutation. 

2.  Moder  of  milde[r\tnisse.  Cf.  the  antiphon,  Horae,  BVM. :  'Heil, 
queene,  modir  of  merci.'     Mask.  II,  71. 

29.  Bricht  and  scene  quen  of  storre,  so  me  liht  and  lere,  |  In  this  false 
fikele  world  so  me  led  and  steore.  This  thought,  that  Mary  should  guide 
the  wanderer  in  this  world  as  a  star  guides  the  mariner,  and  thence, 
probably,  that  Christ  should  also  direct  the  way  (cf.  1.  4),  was  extremely 
popular  in  medieval  religious  poetry,  and  was  doubtless  a  development 
from  the  hymn,  Ave  Maris  Stella,  which  was  in  daily  use  in  the  services. 
Cf.  69-22,  note. 

66 

Printed,  Chambers  and  Sidgwick,  p.  89. 

21-22.   Cf.  25-39,  note- 

32-33.  Monkun  wid  thi  bodi  abouht,  |  Thou  noldest  lesen  hym  for 
nouht.  Cf .  the  versicle  after  the  ninth  lesson  in  the  Offices  of  the  Dead : 
'  Now,  crist,  we  axen  thee  haue  merci,  we  bisechen  thee,  thou  that  earnest 
to  bigge  that  weren  born:  wile  thou  not  dampne  hem  that  thou  hast 
bou>t.'     Mask.  II,  146. 

67 

Printed,  Horstmann,  E.  E.  T.  S.  98-30.  Variant,  only  29  11.  and  in- 
ferior in  arrangement,  Lambeth  MS.  853,  fol.  26;  printed,  Furnivall, 
E.  E.  T.  S.  24-6.  This  poem  and  the  following  are  poetical  paraphrases 
of  the  liturgical  salutation  of  the  five  joys  of  the  Virgin,  a  form  of  which 
is  printed  in  the  note  to  63-14.  It  is  unnecessary  to  point  out  the  close- 
ness of  the  parallels. 

n.  And  f>ou  were  Maid  biforn:  And  aftur,  as  we  rede.  Cf.  the  York 
Manual,  In  die  Paschae,  Antiphona:  'Virgo  prius  ac  posterius.'  Sur- 
tees  Soc.  63-18*. 

^^.  Ladi  seinte  Marie:  So  Rose  in  Erber  rede.  A  theme  often  cele- 
brated. A  Frenchman  in  the  14th  century  wrote  a  book  on  'la  vision 
de  la  Rose'  in  which  he  explained  that  'la  glorieuse  Vierge  Marie  est 
comparee  a  la  rose  pour  ses  proprietes.'  The  prologue  was  entitled: 
'Quasi  plantio  rose  in  Iherico.  Ecclesiatici  xxiiii.'  The  author  of  the 
Mirroure  of  oure  Ladye  similarly  declares:  'Therefore  she  ys  moste 
worthy  lykened  to  a  rose,  and  veryly  to  a  rose  in  iherico.  for  as  men  redeth. 
that  a  rose  of  that  place  passeth  in  hys  fayrenes  other  flowers.'  E.  E.  T.  S. 
E.  S.  19-243. 

68 

Printed,  Morris,  E.  E.  T.  S.  49-87. 

11.  Of  f>e  ibore  wi/>-ve  wo.  This  thought  may  be  traced  back  to  the 
early  Fathers.  It  was  used  by  St.  Bernard  in  serm.  4,  3,  In  vig.  nat.: 
'conceptus  fuit  sine  pudore,  partus  sine  dolore.'  It  is  found  also  in  the 
Blickling  Homilies  (a.d.  979):   'Maria  cende  K>nne  Drihten  on  blisse.' 


196 

E.  E.  T.  S.  58-3.  It  was  ultimately  taken  into  the  liturgy,  appearing  in 
the  Salutation,  Gaude  virgo  mater,  whence  probably  it  was  derived  by 
the  English  poet.  Cf.  the  translation,  printed  above:  'Heil  thou,  for 
ful  with  god,  childedist  withoute  peyne :   with  lilye  of  chastite.' 

12.  fiat  scop  fie  and  alle  fiing.  Cf.  the  Capitulum,  Beata  es,  in  the 
Euensong  of  our  ladi,  Horae,  BVM. :  'Blessid  art  thou  virgyn  marie,  that 
hast  born  the  lord  maker  of  the  world :  thou  hast  getyn  hym  that  made 
thee.'     Mask.  II,  61. 

33-40.  The  poems  to  Mary  are  frequently  reminiscent  of  the  legends 
that  are  connected  with  her  life.  With  these  lines  may  be  compared  the 
following  from  a  version  of  the  Assumption  legend ;  Christ  is  speaking 
to  Mary :  '  Moder,  blith  now  loke  k>u  be  |  And  of  no  thing  haue  bou 
drede.  |  For  with  mi-self  I  sail  be  lede ;  |  Whare  I  am  king,  bou  sail  be  quene, 
I  With  more  blis  ban  men  may  mene.  .  .  .'  |  And  hastili  when  scho 
come  )>are,  |  Al  be  saintes  bat  bar  ware  |  Honord  hir  halely  bidene,  |  And 
bare  ban  was  scho  corond  que[ne].'    Horstmann,  Alt.  Eng.  Leg.  p.  116. 

69 

Printed,  Furnivall,  E.  E.  T.  S.  i5a-29i.  No  poem  in  this  collection 
shows  more  certainly  the  influence  of  the  French  religious  lyric.  The 
choice  of  epithets,  the  love  for  the  French  order  of  phrase  construction 
in  placing  the  noun  before  the  adjective  {Turtill  trew,  Aurora  bryght,  Lyle 
fragrant,  Aungels  alle,  etc.),  and  the  tendency  to  select  rhyming  words  like 
excellence  and  ascence,  somewhat  in  the  manner  of  the  aureate  style,  place 
this  poem  not  only  in  the  school  of  Chaucer  and  Lydgate,  but  also  sug- 
gest that  all  these  later  poets  when  writing  hymns  to  the  Virgin  went  to 
the  French  religious  lyric  for  their  inspiration.  To  be  grouped  here  are 
the  following : 

Chaucer's  ABC  poem. 

Occleve's  Ad  beatam  Virginem  (2  poems). 

Lgdyate's  various  poems  to  the  Virgin. 

Dunbar's  Ane  Ballot  of  our  Lady  (2  poems). 

2.  Turtill  trew.  This  epithet  is  not  found  in  the  English  liturgy,  nor 
in  English  religious  lyric  poetry  before  Chaucer.  The  expression  was 
extremely  popular,  however,  in  French  poetry.  St.  Bernard  had  early 
called  attention  to  the  parallel :  '  Turturis  agnoscitur  castitas  in  quacum- 
que  aetate.  Compare  uno  contenta  est,  quo  amisso  alterum  jam  non 
admittit.'  In  Cant.  59,  7.  So  eminently  fitting  was  the  comparison 
that  it  seems  to  have  been  made  immediate  use  of  in  the  Latin  and  French 
hymns  to  Mary.  So  in  a  Latin  poem  of  the  12th  century  is  found, 
doubtless,  a  reference  to  St.  Bernard's  text,  as  follows:  'Vox  tua,  vox 
turturis.'  Mone  II,  515.  And  in  the  serventois,  which  grew  up  later, 
there  is  no  more  popular  theme.     'La  turtre  entens  pour  la  vierge  Marie,' 


197 

declares  the  poet  of  the  'Taille  de  chant  royal/  the  subject  of  whose 
song  is  the  turtre  gracieuse  (Langlois,  173),  and  Rutebeuf  sings:  'Turtre 
qui  ses  amours  ne  mue.' 

3.  Aurora  bryght,  clere  as  the  day.  Frequent  in  French  poetry.  It 
is  derived  ultimately  from  the  liturgy;  cf.  1.  17,  note.  The  epithet, 
I  believe,  is  practically  unknown  in  English  poetry  before  Chaucer, 
though  it  is  common  enough  in  Latin  poetry.  As  Mone  remarks  (II, 
No.  328,  note)  Mary  is  called  Aurora  because  Christ  is  the  light  of  the 
world  and  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

5.  Lyle  fragrant  eke  of  the  walle.  Cf.  the  hymn,  Tu  miro,  translated 
in  the  Mirroure  of  oure  Lady:  'Thow  art  veryly  a  swete  smellynge 
lyllye.'  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  19-216.  The  French  were  especially  fond  of 
comparing  Mary  to  a  lily,  a  parallel  which  they  worked  out  in  several 
elaborate  details ;  thus  in  the  Regies  de  la  seconde  Rhetorique  is  found 
this  bit  of  information  for  would-be  religious  poets :  'Item,  elle  est  com- 
paree  a  la  fluer  de  lis,  pour  ce  que  la  dicte  rleur  porte  en  milieu  de  soy  la 
croix,  comme  elle  porta  Jhesu  Crist  en  ses  precieux  flans.'  Langlois, 
p.  72.  of  the  walle  means  probably  growing  beside  the  wall,  as  descriptive 
of  the  lily. 

9-1 1.  This  theme  is  celebrated  in  the  hymn,  In  throno,  the  first  stanzas 
of  which  are  translated  in  the  Mirroure  of  oure  Lady  as  follows :  'Thou 
holy  vyrgyn  syttynge  in  trone  nexte  vnto  god,  geuynge  thyselfe  a  throne 
to  hym  moste  plesaunte  aboue  all  thynges.  Tho  aungels  that  are  called 
trones  prayse  wyth  tho  aungels  that  ar  called  potestates ;  and  the  hyghe 
orders  of  aungels,  that  ys  cherubyn  &  Seraphyn,  prayse  the  togyther  with 
hygh  soundynge  praysynges.'  The  writer  of  the  Mirroure  explains  that 
'in  the  four  verses  of  thys  hympne  ye  prayse  oure  lady  of  seuen  thynges. 
The  fyrste  ys.  that  she  hathe  a  seat  in  heuen  aboue  all  creatures  next  vnto 
god.'  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S.  19-184.  The  idea  may  go  back  to  St.  Bernard ; 
cf.  horn.  2,  1 :  'Nonne  tuo,  immo  veritatis  judico,  ilia,  quae  deum  habuit 
filium,  super  omnes  etiam  choros  exaltabitur  angelorum?  annon  deum 
et  dominum  angelorum  Maria  suum  audacter  appelat  filium  (Luc.  2,  48)  ? 
quis  hoc  audeat  angelorum  ? '  Quoted  by  Mone  (II,  p.  7)  on  a  similar 
passage  in  a  Latin  hymn. 

17.  It  seemed  impossible  for  a  poet  who  wrote  in  imitation  of  Lydgate 
to  refrain  from  a  mention  of  'Phebus.'  The  custom  of  comparing 
Mary  to  the  sun  may  be  traced  back  through  French  poetry  to  the  ancient 
liturgies  and  especially  to  the  lines:  'rosa  processit  sicut  sol.  Oritur, 
ut  lucifer  inter  astra.  Velut  sol  micans  cuncta  conscendisti  globorum 
luminaria.'  Sequence,  De  Assump.  B.  M.,  Surtees  Soc.  60-294.  Cf. 
1.  3,  note. 

19.  Lady  saunzpere.     A  constant  epithet  in  French  poetry. 

20.  Empres  of  helle.  A  very  frequent  epithet  in  later  religious  poetry, 
both  French  and  English.     Cf.  also  an  'orisoun'  in  the  Prymer:   'Heil 


198 

.  .  .  Marie,  queene  of  heuene;  lady  of  the  world:  empresse  of  helle.' 
Mask.  II,  78. 

22.  Stormy s  ayene  of  cruell  syn  \  That  puyssauntlye  us  do  assayle.  St. 
Bernard  seems  to  have  been  the  ultimate  source  of  this  very  popular 
thought.  In  the  second  homily  on  the  Missus  est,  after  explaining  how 
Mary's  name  means  Star  of  the  Sea,  and  how  she  is  raised  above  'this 
great  and  spacious  sea  of  life,'  he  goes  on  to  urge  :  'Whosoever  thou  art 
who  knowest  thyself  to  be  tossed  about  among  the  storms  and  tempests 
of  this  troubled  world  rather  than  to  be  walking  peacefully  upon  shore, 
turn  not  thine  eyes  away  from  the  shining  of  this  star,  if  thou  wouldst  not 
be  overwhelmed  with  the  tempest.  If  the  winds  of  temptation  arise, 
if  you  are  driving  upon  the  rocks  of  tribulation,  look  to  the  star,  Mary. 
If  you  are  tossed  on  the  waves  of  pride,  of  ambition,  envy,  rivalry,  look 
to  the  star,  invoke  Mary.  If  wrath,  avarice,  temptations  of  the  flesh 
assail  the  frail  skiff  of  your  mind,  look  to  Mary.'  Trans,  by  Eales  (III, 
315).  After  St.  Bernard  the  idea  became  popular  in  Latin,  French,  and 
English  religious  writings ;  so  that  the  author  of  the  Mirroure  of  oure 
Ladye  declared  on  good  authority :  '  And  furthermore  som  say  that  for 
at  matyns  tyme  ther  apperyth  a  sterre  in  the  fyrmament  wherby  shypmen 
ar  rewlyd  in  the  see,  &  brynge  themselfe  to  right  hauen,  &  for  our  mercy- 
full  lady  is  that  ster  that  socoureth  mankynde  in  the  troubelous  se  of  this 
worlde  &  bringeth  her  louers  to  the  hauen  of  helth.'  E.  E.  T.  S.  E.  S. 
19-14. 

27.  Entrete  fn  babe,  so,  queue  on  hie,  \  In  whom  to  foe  is  no  denye.  Quite 
possibly  an  echo  from  some  Mary  legend;  cf.  the  following:  '  "Whatte- 
euere  it  be  >e  preyon  fore,  |  Moder,"  he  sayth,  "  and  quene  I-core,  |  I 
graunte  wel  joure  bone." '  Horstmann,  Alt.  L.  CXVI. 


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